TOURISM


A new Tourism Industry Council


KURT JANSON is policy director of Tourism Alliance


Inbound tourism draws revealed


More than half of Chinese visitors to Britain would head to a ‘historic city’ outside of London for a UK-based vacation, while 48 per cent of Egyptian tourists would make a beeline for the coast, according to new data on overseas visitor habits. The research, commissioned by


T


he tourism industry has for some years now been making the case to government that it should treat the UK tourism sector as a valid indus-


try that is vital for rebalancing and providing notable growth for the UK economy. There are some extremely good reasons


to do this. Tourism has been the largest growth industry over the past five years. It has accounted for a third of all additional jobs that have been created over the last three years and the jobs that are created in the tourism indus- try help resolve employment “black spots”. For example, 41 per cent of employees in the sec- tor are aged under 30, so it helps solve youth unemployment, while 14 per cent of employ- ees come from minority groups, compared to the average of 9 per cent across UK industry. Tis lobbying has finally paid off with the


very welcome announcement by government that there is to be a new Industry Council estab- lished for the tourism and hospitality sector along the lines of other industry councils that have been established to support other sectors. Te Council will be made up of 22 members


representing industries engaged in transpor- tation, hospitality, entertainment, travel and accommodation. It is designed to be a partner- ship between the government and the tourism and hospitality sector and has a mandate to improving skills, increasing the quality and quantity of jobs and boosting enterprise. Tis will be achieved by developing best practice. One of the key aims of the Council will be


to build on the work already announced by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), who earlier this year said tourism and hospitality would be part of the trail- blazers programme – an initiative designed to develop clear and concise apprenticeship standards in UK industries. Te Council will be co-chaired by the Tourism Minister, the Minister for Skills and Enterprise, and Simon Vincent, a senior industry representative from Hilton Worldwide. Being a cross-governmen- tal industry council will mean the combined resources of DCMS and BIS will be brought to bear on resolving some of the issues that prevent the tourism industry providing even greater growth and employment opportuni- ties. Tis couldn’t be more welcome.


8


VisitBritain as part of the 2013 Anholt GfK Nations Brand Index Survey, asked approx- imately 20,000 people from 20 different countries around the world where they would most like to stay on a trip to the UK. Unsurprisingly, London proved a big


Coastal settings like Cornwall proved hugely popular


draw – having recently been crowned the world’s most popular destination with over- seas tourists – however, the research threw up some surprising regional preferences. For instance, both Chinese and Russian


respondents chose ‘historic British cities’ (excluding London) as their top destination. Around 52 per cent of Chinese would make this their number one stop, while 45 per cent would head for the traditional English coun- tryside. Te rural life was also a big draw for Swedish, Canadian and Australian visitors, while South Africans said the countryside was their favourite UK attraction. Elsewhere, Egyptians and Turks revealed


they like our beaches nearly as much as the Brits love theirs. Around 48 per cent of respondents from Egypt chose ‘coastal areas


of Britain’, while 40 per cent of Turks said the same. Britain’s shorelines have been identified as a key driver of future tourism growth. And despite the odd anomaly, London


still remains a huge draw in Europe, with neighbouring nations including the French, Germans, Italians and Polish choosing the ‘Big Smoke’ as their number one UK destination. “We have a wealth of destinations and


beautiful countryside to attract international visitors, as well as a capital city that is a global star,” said Patricia Yates, director of strategy and communications at VisitBritain. “Our campaigns highlight the Scottish high-


lands, the Welsh Coastal Path, Shakespeare Country and the Lake District to ensure that the economic benefits of tourism are spread. Details: http://lei.sr?a=G8x9U


NI tourism visitors stay flat but spending up


Despite inbound tourism figures holding steady, Northern Ireland’s tourism sector saw revenues jump £33m last year to £723m. Te latest government statistics show


that a high-profile year – which saw the hosting of the G8 summit in Fermanagh and the recruitment of Liam Neeson to front a new marketing campaign – had lit- tle impact on Northern Ireland’s ability to attract greater numbers of people. Te number of those visitors coming to


Northern Ireland for a holiday was 632,000, virtually unchanged from 2012. Meanwhile, the growth in revenues came


predominantly from the additional spend- ing of people travelling from Great Britain in order to visit friends and family. Te calendar year of 2013 also saw Giant’s


per cent to 754,000, while Titanic Belfast had 604,000 visitors, down nine per cent on 2012. Regardless of the stagnation in the num- ber of holidaymakers attracted, Northern Irish


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital Te Giant’s Causeway is now the country’s top attraction


Causeway in County Antrim displace Titanic Belfast as the most popular attraction. Te Causeway saw visitor numbers jump 44


tourism minister Arlene Foster welcomed the figures, which she described as encouraging. “Our key programme for government tar-


gets for visitor numbers and tourism revenue have been achieved for 2013,” she said. “Tis keeps us on track to succeed in making


tourism in Northern Ireland a £1bn industry by 2020.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=a7f2V


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2014


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