The Liberal Democrats today backed proposals to help revitalise the British tourism industry.

Britain’s global share of the tourism market has fallen by 16% over the last twenty years, with an annual ‘tourism deficit’ of £18bn.

Measures in the motion, which was voted on today at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference, include:

• Establishing a permanent Cabinet sub-committee on tourism
• Creating an English Tourist Board like those for Scotland and Wales
• Improving public transport 
• Developing local destination management organisations to help create effective tourism strategies

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster MP said

“Labour has neglected tourism in this country for far too long. They’ve made cuts to VisitBritain’s budget, hiked the price of visas, and repeatedly delayed the Olympic tourism plan.

“Only the Liberal Democrats have a clear strategy and vision for ensuring a sustainable future for tourism in this country and reversing years of government neglect.
 
“By investing in public transport, strengthening the role of tourism within government, and improving energy efficiency, we can develop a world class tourism industry in this country.

“The message is clear.  The Liberal Democrats are the party who recognise how important tourism is - our policies will ensure that the 2012 Olympics provide a sustainable legacy for everyone.” 

A full copy of the motion is below:

Conference notes:

i) That a thriving tourism industry is an integral part of the economic and social well-being of Britain, through the provision of employment, investment, and tax revenue, for urban and rural areas.
ii) The enormous value of tourism to the UK, as the seventh largest sector, with an annual direct visitor expenditure of £85bn, and an estimated employment force of 2.2 million people or 7.7% of the working population.

Conference regrets:

A. The existence of a ‘tourism deficit’ which over the last 10 years has risen from £4.7bn to £18.0bn per annum.
B. That Britain’s global share of the tourism market has fallen by 16% over the last twenty years.
C. The government’s failure over the last ten years to provide additional funding for VisitBritain’s overseas marketing budget resulting in the recent loss of almost a fifth of its staff.

Conference reaffirms its commitment to the previous policy motion Valuing Tourism and Tourists and in particular the need to:

I. Establish an English Tourist Board (VisitEngland) with similar responsibilities to those of Scotland and Wales.
II. Uphold VisitBritain’s role in promoting Britain overseas, while transferring the marketing of England to VisitEngland.

To improve the position of tourism, Conference believes that the following measures are necessary:

1. Reforming the structure of the bodies currently dealing with tourism by:

a) Establishing a permanent Cabinet sub-committee on tourism.
b) Seeking to develop and strengthen the Tourism Alliance as an effective national trade
association for operators in the tourism industry.
c) Encouraging the development of Local Destination Management Groups to form
partnerships between local authorities, local businesses involved in the visitor economy,
and education.
d) Encouraging regional tourist organisations to develop regional strategies.

2. Making sure that sustainability and the environment are important considerations in tourism by:

a) Improving transport facilities to take account of climate change, damage to the
environment attributable to tourism, and service to the customer.
b) Encouraging the adoption of rigorous energy efficiency standards for accommodation
services through ‘WarmHomes’ packages.
c) Improving the quality of public and private facilities to create a ‘virtuous circle’ in order for the visitor economy to benefit local communities and encourage sustainable tourism.
d) Encouraging more efficient use of scarce resources through improved cohesion and
coordination in their use; this can be achieved by improving public/private partnerships
at all levels and by the sharing of best practice through Local Destination Management
Groups.

3. Improving the quality of tourism by:

a) Ensuring the adoption of a unified grading scheme for accommodation by means of a
benefits scheme.
b) Improving the relevance, accuracy, consistency and timeliness of local, national, and
international data.