Jowell Spells Out Drive To Propel Tourism To Future Sucess
090/04
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has today spelt out how the Government will work with key partners to drive the tourism industry forward to even greater achievement in the future.
Tomorrow's Tourism Today has been published as the joint tourism prospectus of Department for Culture Media and Sport, the industry, the regions and local government. It sets out the responsibilities and actions of key partners in the sector to deliver improvements in:
- marketing and e-tourism
- accommodation quality
- workforce skills
- data
The document identifies the key drivers for propelling tourism from a £76 billion a-year to a £100 billion a-year industry by 2010, while making inroads into the present £15 billion tourism balance of payments deficit - the excess of UK citizens' overseas spending on travel and holidays over domestic turnover.
Tessa Jowell also announced the establishment of the Tourism Review and Implementation Group (TRIG). Chaired by Tourism Minister Richard Caborn, it will oversee and monitor delivery in the four key areas and report within one year.
Launching Tomorrow's Tourism Today at the Tourism Alliance's Summer Conference in London, Tessa Jowell said:
"Tourism is vital to our economic success, as well as fostering perceptions of Britain throughout the world.
"Tomorrow's Tourism Today will help us take this multi-billion pound industry to the next level, by setting out common objectives and action plans, with clear responsibilities for all.
"In time it will help deliver ever more successful businesses, which provide a diverse range of experiences for discerning consumers, coupled with sustainable growth, spurred by industry and the public sector working in tandem to market the great attractions and events we have to offer.
"And, most importantly, it will help put the customer at the very heart of all we do."
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The document, which is the result of extensive consultation with the sector over recent months, also sets out the DCMS's role in advocating tourism within Whitehall and the European Union.
Tom Wright, Chief Executive of Visit Britain, said:
"VisitBritain welcomes Tomorrow's Tourism Today, and in particular the clarity of how Government, the public and private sectors need to work together to grow Britain's fifth biggest industry; to improve quality and skills; to drive up competitiveness; and to spread the economic benefits of domestic and inbound tourism as widely as possible.
"In particular, VisitBritain welcomes the establishment of the Tourism Review and Implementation Group (TRIG) and is keen to play a strong role within the group in order that progress is made to remove barriers and to modernise tourism – ensuring that it becomes a £100 billion industry by 2010.
"We particularly welcome the stated role of DCMS as an advocate for tourism across the whole of Whitehall, reminding all Government departments that investment in tourism is an investment in the health and wealth of the economy."
Richard Tobias, Director General of the Tourism Alliance, said:
"The Tourism Alliance welcomes the Government's vision for Britain's tourism industry, and in particular a commitment to champion tourism as a major wealth and employment creator. The acknowledgement that the private sector has a pivotal role to play alongside the public agencies in achieving our common objective of ensuring that Britain is a world class destination, is one that is shared by all sectors of the industry.
"The Tourism Alliance also welcomes the establishment of a high level monitoring group to report on the progress of Britain's tourism industry and looks forward to playing a key role in ensuring that tourism becomes a £100 billion per-annum industry by the end of the decade"
TRIG will draw on and contribute to a range of work currently taking place including:
- in quality, the work of the Quality Review Group chaired by Alan Britten. The group published a report in May, including in-principle agreement to standardised accommodation grading schemes across England, Scotland and Wales.
- in skills, the work of People 1st – the new Sector Skills Council for the tourism and hospitality sectors.
- overseeing work to improve data following the report of the Tourism Statistics Review published in June.
TRIG will also consider wider issues affecting the sector, including business structures and barriers to investment, customer expectations and planning and regulation.
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Notes to Editors
1. Tomorrow's Tourism Today is available at http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/publications/archive_2004/tomorrowstourismtoday.htm
2. The Tourism Alliance was set up in 2001 following a call on the industry from Tessa Jowell to improve the effectiveness of its communication channels with the Government. Richard Tobias is the Director General, Digby Jones is the President and Bob Cotton is Chairman of the management board.
3. The following have been invited to be members of TRIG:
Tom Wright (VisitBritain)
Bob Cotton (British Hospitality Association/ Tourism Alliance)
Richard Tobias (Director General of the Tourism Alliance)
Sir William Lawrence (Local Govt Assn Tourism Executive and England
Marketing Advisory Board)
Alan Britten (Visit Britain Quality Group)
Simon Turl (CEO of PeopleFirst)
David Richardson (Finance Director of Whitbread)
Stephen Moss (Chairman of Springboard – skills body)
Michael Jolly (former CEO of Tussauds)
Tony Climpson (President of Tourism Management Institute)
Juliet Williams (South West RDA Chair – lead RDA on tourism)
Mary Ney (CEO of London Borough of Greenwich)
Eric Robson (Cumbria Tourist Board Chair)
Steve Smith (Small Business Service)
Professor David Airey (University of Surrey, representing wider academic tourism sector through the TOLERN group)
Fiona Reynolds (CEO of National Trust)
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