A rather diverse group of UK travel bigwigs has criticised the UK government’s handling of tourism in a letter to the Prime Minister. It’s hard to disagree with the contents of the letter; they aren’t asking for more money, just better handling of tourism.
Tourism currently sits within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the letter is quite rightly asking that it be moved to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
There have been a staggering 8 ministers responsible for tourism in the UK in the last 11 years. The current minister is Barbara Follett (her expenses are only £113,000 for the last year, how admirably frugal), who despite an admittedly international background, has no real background in tourism. Follett is officially the minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism. Note how tourism is tacked on to the end of her title. How does she allocate her time? Monday – go see a film, Tuesday- visit the Knitting Guild Association, Wednesday – tourism.
For anyone in the government, here’s just a few more things you could do:
- Have a minister for Tourism and nothing else. Ideally, someone who has a background in tourism who doesn’t just use the post as a stepping stone to more senior positions
- Build a website that isn’t quite so useless as the current one. A website that tells us what you are doing and how you are spending your £350m budget. Maybe a website that would encourage involvement from those involved in UK tourism (perhaps asking too much)
- Stop harping on about 2012. I know that you’re wasting taxpayer’s money on it, but the effect on tourism will be negligible in the long run and it’s not going to help anyone in 2009
As the department’s own website states: ”The UK’s flourishing tourism industry generates over £85 billion a year for the British economy. It is one of our biggest employers, directly responsible for1.4 million jobs.” So give it the priority it deserves.
