NEWS By Samantha Mayling


Travel and tourism grew by more than four times the rate of the wider UK economy last year – yet it struggles to make its case with politicians. World Travel & Tourism Council


research, in conjunction with Oxford Economics, showed the UK’s travel and tourism sector contribution to GDP grew by 6.2% in 2017. The rate was higher than the


global average (4.6%) and more than four times faster than the UK’s economy as a whole (1.5%). This growth translated into £214 billion contribution to GDP, four million jobs and £29 billion in exports. WTTC research director Rochelle


Turner said: “Behind this growth lies a double benefit of the sustained weakness of sterling after the EU referendum in 2016.” Arrivals rose 6.7% and spending


by international tourists rose by 7.9%. Spending on domestic travel increased by 5.8%. WTTC president and chief


BTTS Tourism Question Time


executive Gloria Guevara warned: “There are significant challenges in the longer-term which will need to be addressed. Most critical will be ensuring the country has a workforce that is sufficient in number and skills to support this growth. “If the UK is to benefit from the


significant opportunities offered by tourism over the coming years, I would encourage the government to prioritise the needs of the sector. “The prize is nearly £40 billion in


exports per year and around 400,000 new jobs – vital for the economic success of Britain outside the EU.” Her comments were echoed by speakers at the British Tourism and


Salisbury tourism: ‘We are open for business’


Prime minister Theresa May has pledged more than £2.5 million to help Salisbury recover after the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The package includes £1 million


to support firms and boost tourism, plus £1.6 million for Wiltshire Police. A total of £200,000 is earmarked


for tourism promotion, including using the GREAT campaign to market the city. David Lidington, Cabinet Office


minister, said: “The message is clear: the city is safe and its shops, restaurants and beautiful sites remain open for business.” Baroness Jane Scott, Wiltshire


Council leader, added: “We need to market and promote the city to ensure that national and international tour operators and visitors continue to choose Salisbury.”


4 TravelGBI | April 2018 A police forensics tent at the scene of


the nerve agent poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.


Visitor numbers and spending


fell in March, so VisitWiltshire is promoting a ‘business as usual’ message. David Andrews, VisitWiltshire chief executive, said: “We continue to encourage local, regional, national and international visitors into the city.” VisitWiltshire is working with


Wiltshire Council, VisitBritain and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on a tourism


recovery plan. visitwiltshire.co.uk


Face to Face: Our sector has a more active and curious audience nowadays, says new chief executive of the Association of Group Travel Organisers – Wendy Hartley Scarff – page 10


‘Tourism is just given lip service by politicians’


Travel Show in Birmingham. Allan Edmondson, head of


transport at Etoa, the European tourism association, said: “It is about how the politicians view tourism. London councillors say tourism is 10th on their list, well below issues such as homelessness. That’s what matters – tourists are not voters. “[Tourism] is just given lip service


by government; it is seen as a damn nuisance yet with the amount of money and jobs it accounts for, it deserves to be higher up the government agenda.” John Wales, founder and director


of Encore Tickets, and the new chairman of the Coach Tourism Association, added: “It is up to us to get coach tourism higher up the agenda so we are not penalised.” He said he would like to see the


tourism minister recognise that coaches are an environmentally friendly form of transport, and realise the impact of tourism VAT, especially in Northern Ireland where it is twice the rate levied in the Republic of Ireland.


London attractions hit by costs and rail chaos


Visits to members of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions rose by 7.3% in 2017, although some of London’s top sites recorded falls. Attractions in Scotland saw an


increase of 13.9%, while Northern Ireland saw 6.5% growth. Overall, almost 130 million visits were made to the top 238 Alva sites in the UK. London dominates, with all the attractions in the top 10 in the capital. However, numbers fell


at London’s busiest tourist attractions last year because of the cost of trips and rail disruption. The UK’s top 10 attractions, including the British Museum and Tate Modern, saw almost 1.7 million fewer visitors. Bernard Donoghue, Alva


director, (pictured) said: “A number of our London members have seen exceptional growth, reflecting a record year for London tourism and the popularity of their temporary exhibitions, whilst some saw a decline in visitor numbers following five years of unprecedented growth in numbers. “Undoubtedly there have been


some concerns about global security issues, but economic concerns are playing a more


crucial part.” alva.org.uk


travelgbi.com Sarah Greenwood, director of


Hudson’s Historic Houses and Gardens, said: “Why is the tourism minster so unimportant? He should be more central to government decisions. Heritage and history drive tourism in the UK, but are not featured strongly enough.” Bernard Donoghue, director of


the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, highlighted how tourism is the UK’s fifth biggest industry; third largest employer; and contributes £127 billion to the economy. He said some Conservative MPs received widespread media attention by throwing haddock into the Thames in protest at the impact of Brexit on fishing – yet the fishing sector accounts for just 0.3% of Britain’s GDP. Wendy Hartley-Scarff, Association


of Group Travel Organisers chief executive, added: “We are a powerhouse, driving revenue and employment, so I find it hard to understand why our government


does not support us as we wish.” ◗ For more from BTTS, see p8


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