ToUrism


“And now we move onto the hard bit...”


KUrT janson is policy director of Tourism Alliance


Three ‘major’ issues for UK Tom wAlker


Te European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) has warned of a drop in inbound visitor numbers to the UK aſter outlining three “major” issues facing the sector. High taxation; an “arrogant


the industry has been that it’s a consid- erable step in the right direct of making UK tourism more competitive with other destinations. It was disappointing, although not unex-


T


pected, that a number of key issues were either skipped or omitted altogether, such as VAT on tourism products and services; Air Passenger Duty; and – most noticeably – daylight saving. It seems the government got cold-feet at the last moment. However, the policy still contains a num-


ber of proposals which hold the prospect of significantly boosting the tourism sector. Tese include the establishment of a joint government/industry task force to reduce the regulatory burden faced by many tour- ism businesses and efforts to make the visa application process less onerous. Te policy also commits to ensuring the


needs of tourism businesses are taken into account during the development of legisla- tion by all departments, as well as looking to improve the planning process to enable the growth of tourism businesses. Te trick now is to ensure that the gov-


ernment does not simply file the policy, along with these proposals, on a shelf and walk away thinking that it has “solved” tourism. The good words in the Prime Minister’s introduction that “the challenge now is to make sure we deliver on these plans and make the most of this oppor- tunity to make Britain’s tourism industry thrive” need to turned into appreciable benefits if targets are to be achieved. To help keep the government steeled to


the task, the Tourism Alliance has launched a new publication – Tourism for Growth. Among other things, it rates initiatives in the tourism policy on their ability to pro- vide growth and employment. More importantly, it provides that basis


for an analysis of how well the government now performs on delivering the initiatives. In December, we will produce an End of Year Report that scores its performance.


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he government’s much awaited, and much delayed, tourism pol- icy has finally been launched and the overall verdict from


and racist” visa regime; and the impact of the Olympic Games have all been identi- fied as challenges for the UK tourism industry. ETOA has claimed that


UK-based companies work- ing to sell the country as a tourist destination overseas currently face a “huge” disadvantage due to tax regulations. Under the Tour Operators’ Margin Scheme, domestic firms incur a levy on the investment made in the sale and deliv- ery of visitors to the UK. The UK’s visa regime also came under fire from ETOA, which said that more than


ETOA said the UK’s visa process deters visitors from long-haul markets


300,000 long-haul visitors had been put off visiting Britain due to bureaucracy. ETOA’s Tom Jenkins said: “Te cost to the


UK in foreign exports is between a half and three quarters of £1bn per year. Tousands of jobs are being lost though this surly and alien- ating stance towards our customers.”


Scottish Government in APD devolution call PeTe hAymAn


Scottish transport minister Keith Brown has urged Westminster to devolve responsibility for Air Passenger Duty (APD) to Holyrood. According to Brown, transferring the respon- sibility for APD to the Scottish Government


will help to provide more direct international routes in and out of Scotland. Brown said: “We need APD to be devolved


now in order to give our aviation industry the competitive edge that it needs for the benefit of passengers and the wider Scottish economy.”


Tourism Alliance unveils growth strategy PeTe hAymAn


Tourism Alliance has unveiled its new Tourism for Growth strategy, which is to provide an assessment of the govern- ment’s plans for the sector. The document also sets


out a number of additional requirements and oppor- tunities that have not been covered by the UK’s new Tourism Strategy, which was revealed in early March. In its new strategy, Tourism


Alliance welcomed the gov- ernment’s commitment to the sector but has demanded that more be done to address a number of issues. Tourism for Growth has called for action to increase the UK’s competi- tiveness, with the Air Passenger Duty and high VAT rates among the group’s concerns.


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital Tourism Alliance said more can be done by government for the industry Meanwhile, an ‘End of Year’ report will


be published in December by the Tourism Alliance to monitor the government’s progress in fulfilling its pledges to help the sector.


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2011


image: britain on view


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