TOURISM


UK tourism funding trailing behind


KURT JANSON is policy director of the Tourism Alliance


Varney laments China visa policy


British efforts to court Chinese tourism through a major Shanghai business festival launched by Prince William are missing the point because of the UK’s visa policy. Tat is the view of new BHA chair


I


n a recent statement as to why VAT on tourism accommodation and attrac- tions should not be lowered so that it is in line with other European des-


tinations, the Treasury stated that one of the reasons why this wasn’t necessary was because the government had significantly boosted funding via the GREAT campaign. However, this statement overlooks the


fact that the government has also progres- sively reduced funding for both VisitBritain and VisitEngland. In 2010, VisitBritain and VisitEngland had a combined allocation from DCMS of £45.1m. DCMS also allo- cated a further £1.9m to spread tourism out of London and £3.3m for regional tourism pro- motion – giving a total of £50.3m per annum. In 2014-15, the combined funding that


DCMS provides to the two Boards is £27.2m – a decrease of £17.9m or 40 per cent in nominal terms, or 57 per cent in real terms. Even if the GREAT campaign funding is added to this funding, the total is still £4.1m down on the GIA allocated to tourism in 2010. While this overall level of funding is only


marginally down on 2010 in nominal terms, the GREAT campaign ends this year and there is no guarantee the new government will continue the campaign or, if it does, fund tourism promotion as part of that. VisitBritain is at a severe disadvantage


compared to other major tourism desti- nations in terms of the budget to increase numbers. For 2015, VisitBritain’s total revenue is £47.3m – considerably less than most other major tourism destinations such as France (£55.3m), Ireland (£63.2m), Spain (£65.7m), the US (£75.3m) and Australia (£90m). VisitBritain is being outspent by other


National Boards in key markets. For example, in China, which is one of the core target markets of the GREAT campaign, Australia is spending an average of £35m per annum while the US is spending £10m in addition to the spending of individual state organisations. Te net result of which is that preliminary figures from ONS’s International Passenger Survey indicate that visitor numbers from China to the UK decreased by 7 per cent in 2014. So while the government has introduced the


GREAT campaign, this has been at the expense of core tourism funding.


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Nick Varney, who said that posters in China promoting British destina- tions are irrelevant when the UK’s policy on Chinese visas makes it so difficult for visitors to get there. Te GREAT Festival of Creativity


in Shanghai ran earlier this month, a partnership between the UK gov- ernment and private sector to boost British penetration in fast- growing Chinese markets. Prince William opened the event on 2 March, while brands such as British Airways, Jaguar Land Rover, PwC and BBC Worldwide were sponsors. Tourism is high on the agenda, with the VisitBritain-led GREAT Britain marketing campaign featuring prominently in a bid to lure visitors from the rapidly expanding Chinese outbound tourism market. However, Varney, who is also the CEO of


attractions giant Merlin Entertainments, said that the marketing campaign is ultimately futile because of the UK government’s stance regarding visas for Chinese visitors.


BHA chair Nick Varney believes it is time for a visa re-think “I actually think it’s not a tourism campaign.


It’s a corporate Britain branding campaign, as far as I can see,” Varney was quoted as saying in an article from the Financial Times. He added that branding Britain may be


useful for attracting inward investment, “but if you are saying that a poster at Shanghai Airport saying ‘Britain is Great’ is going to get Chinese people to come to the UK for their holiday when actually the main barrier... is an overly expensive and overly complicated and onerous visa application process, then you’re not running an integrated tourism strategy.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=q6N9e


Golf bodies club together to boost tourism Golf Tourism England (GTE),


the


recently-formed body tasked with attracting more visitor income for English golf courses from tourism, has announced a new strategic partnership with England Golf. The tie-up with the governing body for


all amateur golf in England is an important landmark for GTE, which is aiming to unite key golf industry stakeholders as it bids to make up lost ground on rival golfing destina- tions. Boosted by the hosting of the 2014 Ryder Cup, Scotland’s golf courses have been drawing a large number of tourists, while Ireland’s facilities have also built up a solid reputation. “In recent times, England has been guilty of


resting on its laurels, while others around us, particularly our neighbours in Scotland and Ireland, have greatly benefitted on a joined-up approach, which has yielded excellent returns in terms of inbound tourism,” said GTE founder and chief executive Andrew Cooke. “I believe that this partnership (with England


Golf) will allow us to establish stronger working relationships between the many individual bodies which currently have a stake in English golf tourism at present.”


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


Golf Tourism England CEO Andrew Cooke Since its launch in July 2014, almost 100 golf


properties and tour operators have enlisted as GTE members, with further support for the ini- tiative already having been offered by national tourist board VisitEngland. Cooke added: “With six Open Championship venues, some of the world’s best examples of links, parkland, heath- land and cliff-top golf, as well as vibrant cities we are confident that a similar approach (to Scotland and Ireland) can establish England as a prominent destination for golfers worldwide.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=N7W5H


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2015


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