48 TRAVEL TRADE UPDATES
Report Finds UK International Travel Industry Contributes £80bn a Year to UK
Economy A NEW joint-report from ABTA and UKinbound outlines the value of international travel to the UK economy in terms of supporting jobs, economic contributions and taxes paid to HM Treasury.
The report, International Travel: Powering the UK economy, looks at the combined value of UK inbound and outbound tourism, and is based on research from consultants York Aviation. The report finds that each year UK international travel: • contributes £80bn to the UK economy in GVA, equivalent to 4.0% of the UK’s total GVA;
• supports 1.5 million jobs – 4.5% of all jobs in the UK;
• provides £13.2bn to HM Treasury in taxes; • generates £84bn in travel-related spending across the UK. As
well as outlining the sector’s
contributions, the report also looks at the industry’s potential for growth. It says that, with the right policy framework, inbound and outbound travel could outperform the average growth for the UK economy over the next five years, with inbound travel forecast to grow 20%, and outbound travel 15%, compared to forecast growth of 10.3% in the wider UK economy by 2027.
ABTA and UKinbound produced the joint report to demonstrate to Government and politicians that, while outbound and
TWENTY-TWO (22) American
inbound sectors have different customers and operate in different markets, the two sectors are interdependent and interlinked. The trade bodies say the report comes at an important time as Rishi Sunak establishes his new Government and the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt prepares for his Autumn Statement on 17 November. The associations are urging the Government to recognise the valuable contribution that international travel makes to the UK economy, and the important role they will play in driving the UK’s wider economic recovery and growth. For the first time ever, the research is also available at a constituency level, meaning ABTA and UKinbound Members, as well as the wider industry, can access data on the contribution travel makes to their local economies and communities. The research behind the report is the most comprehensive and detailed piece of analysis in this area to date and can be found in full on ABTA’s website at
www.abta.com/internationaltravel. ABTA and UKinbound will be sharing the report with Government Ministers and officials, as well as MPs and representatives of the devolved administrations. Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive of ABTA – The Travel Association said:
“ABTA has long argued that travel is a powerful force for good in the world, and this report shows very clearly that is as true here in the UK as in destinations around the globe. At a time when the industry is experiencing serious challenges, with rising energy costs and consumers facing a cost-of-living squeeze, it is vital that policymakers recognise the critical role that international travel plays in the UK economy. This is especially true for the outbound sector, which is too often seen in a negative light, but which this report shows clearly remains a vital employer and a crucial economic driver for communities across the UK.”
Luxury US Travel Agents Discover Northern Ireland holidays here.
travel agents have been exploring Northern Ireland recently – as guests of Tourism Ireland and Luxury Gold (part of The Travel Corporation). They visited Strangford Lough,
Londonderry and the Causeway Coastal Route, as well as, Dublin, Mayo and Galway.
The travel advisors are all specialists in
luxury travel and are members of high-profile travel agent networks like Virtuoso, Travel Leaders and Signature Travel Network. They design unique, luxury travel itineraries for their US clients. The aim of the visit was to familiarise them with Northern Ireland and our superb luxury tourism offering, so that when they return home, they will be better informed and more enthusiastic than ever about the island of Ireland when advising their clients about planning and booking their
Gordon Lyons Promotes Northern Ireland in London
TOURISM Minister Gordon Lyons joined Tourism Ireland in London this week, to promote Northern Ireland at its annual B2B tourism workshop, ‘Flavours of Ireland’.
Now in its 20th year, ‘Flavours’ took place in the Guildhall, in the City of London, and was attended by around 100 top global inbound tour operators who deliver business from all over the world. The tour operators met, and did business with, tourism companies from across the island of Ireland, including 20 companies from Northern Ireland. ‘Flavours’ provides an excellent opportunity for the participating tourism providers from Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland to highlight and sell their tourism product and to build valuable relationships with these key decision-makers. The global inbound operators are preparing to sign contracts for 2023 and beyond; it is, therefore, a key time to
Belfast,
The group’s action-packed itinerary included Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen, Strangford Lough, Titanic Belfast, the walled city of Derry and the Giant’s Causeway. The group also visited Guinness Storehouse, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, the Little Museum of Dublin and Ashford Castle. Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted to work with Luxury Gold, to invite this group of specialist luxury travel agents to visit Northern Ireland, to experience at first- hand some of our luxury tourism offering, including our boutique hotels and high-end resorts. Seeing is believing – and our aim is that when they return home, they will be even more enthusiastic about the destination, helping to secure a greater share of their business for the island of Ireland in 2023 and beyond.”
Nov/Dec 2022 Travel News
NI Travel News Attends Belfast’s FIRST ITT Future You Career Expo
ON FRIDAY 21 October, the
NI Travel News team were in attendance as the event media partner for FIRST ever ITT Future You ‘On The Road’ Event hosted in Belfast Metropolitan College. The event saw the college’s Titanic Quarter Campus welcome hundreds of Travel and Tourism students from across Northern Ireland, for an immersive careers in Travel and Tourism day.
The ITT Future You Career Expo was hosted by Belfast Metropolitan College and organised by Belfast Met’s Events Management Students along with their lecturer, Cate Murdock.
Students and apprentices were treated to an array of guest speakers, who provided valuable insight into their own career path and tips on how to become involved in the Travel and Tourism industry. The line-up of guest speakers provided guidance and inspiration for those seeking to kick-start their career within the sector. Claire
Steiner, Chairperson of ITT captured the importance of the First ITT Future You ‘On the Road’ event in Belfast. Claire Steiner highlighted, “I can’t tell you how excited we’ve been. This is such an amazing area of the United Kingdom and I know how important tourism is to Northern Ireland. So for us to be able to bring Future You to hopefully inspire the young people of Belfast and the surrounding areas to really pursue a career in Tourism, Travel and Hospitality is fundamental.”
The guest speakers in included: • Eimear Callaghan: Tourism Northern Ireland
• Michael Dalton: MICDrop • Stephen Meldrum: Hastings Hotels • Danny Waine: ABTA/ ITT Future You
• Jacqueline Green & Matt Godman: Contiki
Following an informative session of guest speakers, attendees had the opportunity to hear from some Belfast Metropolitan College Alumni who have recently become involved in the Travel/ Tourism/Hospitality and Events Sector. The Alumni Panel detailed how their
course equipped them with the skills and resources for a career within the industry. The Alumni Panel included : • Paula Hayes: Grow Consultancy. • Lauren Willis: The Regency. • Marc Dallas: Grand Opera House, Belfast.
• Ruth Flynn: Visit Belfast. Then it was exhibition time! After the speakers and alumni panel, students were able to engage and connect with some local companies and brands within the NI Travel/Tourism and Hospitality Sector. Just some of the exhibitors included Oasis Travel, ICC Belfast, George Best City Airport, Galgorm, Titanic Belfast, Titanic Distillers, and many more! Cate Murdock, Lecturer in Travel, Tourism and Events Management at Belfast Met added, “Looking forward we hope to host this event again next year and will look at ways of sharing the content online as we had so many interested schools we simply could not accommodate all. We were also at capacity with industry exhibitors all of whom feedback that the event was hugely valuable in allowing direct engagement with
students who are careers in the industry.
“We were so fortunate to have support from across the industry, Visitor Attractions, Hotels, Airports, Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Air traffic Controllers and more showcased career opportunities.
Feedback from our student attendees has been a delight to read, with many saying they have been inspired and those that have not yet moved to further and higher education are now planning on choosing a Travel, Tourism, Events or Hospitality course.
At Belfast Met our vision is to be the college of choice for learners and partner of choice for employers. This event has allowed us to realise this vision and to continue in our purpose of equipping learners, driving innovation and transforming lives.
“Our relationship with ITT Future You will continue and we look forward with excitement to further events and continued collaboration with our industry partners.
starting their
influence the addition of new tourism products to their programmes that have the potential to deliver more regional and longer-stay business for Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland. David Boyce, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Global Inbound and Emerging Markets, said: “We are delighted that Minister Lyons joined Tourism Ireland’s annual ‘Flavours of Ireland’ event in London this week.”
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