NEWS IN BRIEF


w VisitBritain joins Chinese Visitor Working Group


VisitBritain has teamed with the newly renamed UK China Visitor Alliance to form a Chinese Visitor Working Group to “drive Chinese visitor numbers to new heights”. The group will include representatives from business, the Home Office and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and will look at initiatives to attract more Chinese


visitors to the UK. ukcva.com


Mayors unite to inspire visits from China, India and Gulf


Kate Nicholls


w Trade bodies merge to create UKHospitality


The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has merged with the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) to form an association representing 700 operators across 65,000 sites. Called UKHospitality, the body


represents a sector that generates £130 billion in revenue each year and employs 2.9 million people. The chief executive will be


former ALMR CEO Kate Nicholls. Ufi Ibrahim, BHA chief executive,


will “pursue other interests”. almr.org.uk


w VisitBritain teams with DMCs to sell England tours


VisitBritain has partnered with destination management companies (DMCs) for the first time to promote holidays financed by the £40 million Discover England Fund. The commercial partnerships


will boost the distribution for 20 of the fund’s year-one pilot projects. The DMCs are Abbey Tours,


AC Tours, Angela Shanley Associates, E-Voyages, Hotels &


More and JacTravel. visitbritain.org/discover- england-fund


travelgbi.com


The UK’s three largest cities – London, Manchester and Birmingham – have created an alliance to attract tourists from the world’s fastest-growing markets. Called Experience England,


the project will woo travellers from China, India and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Led by London & Partners,


the Mayor of London’s official promotional agency, the scheme is backed by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan; the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham; and the mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street. It is financed by a £1.2 million grant from the government’s £40


million Discover England Fund. londonandpartners.com


MPs join tourism bosses to lobby on India visas MPs joined representatives


France is a more popular destination for Indian visitors than the UK – with research by The Royal Commonwealth Society showing the gap is widening. The number of visits to the


UK by Indian nationals fell by 1.73% in 2016, while in France it grew by 5.3%.


from the RCS and the travel and tourism sector in Parliament last month to lobby for a UK-Indian bilateral visa agreement “to stop this decline and kick-start growth in the number of Indian


visitors to the UK”. thercs.org


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Belfast


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Titanic Belfast last month on their first official engagement in Northern Ireland.


The couple – who will marry in Windsor in May – visited the museum ahead of its sixth birthday on March 31. More than 4.8 million visitors, including the Queen, have visited the tourist attraction. titanicbelfast.com w For more about Belfast p14-15


LONGLEAT SAFARI’S FACT OF THE MONTH


Did you know... The poo


of the binturong –


or bearcat – smells like burnt popcorn


April 2018 | TravelGBI 7


w ‘Three years of certainty’ thanks to Brexit deal


Agreement on “a large part” of the Brexit transition arrangement “will give business the timings it needs”, the CBI told tourism industry leaders. European Union negotiator Michel Barnier and UK Brexit secretary David Davis last month announced a deal on “the implementation period” or transition phase of Britain’s exit from the EU. John Foster, campaigns director


at business federation the CBI, told an English Tourism Week conference in London that the agreement “would give three years of certainty for business”. Foster said: “The odds against a no-deal Brexit have increased.”


w UKinbound to work with Asta to woo US tourists


UKinbound will collaborate with US travel agencies to attract more American tourists to the UK. The American Society of


Travel Agents (Asta) is offering discounted membership to UKinbound members, including benefits such as a listing in the US trade association’s member directory, its quarterly magazine, access to its global network of travel professionals and other


incentives. ukinbound.org


©Alan Williams


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