MPs call for evidence in Promoting Britain Abroad inquiry

MPs have launched an inquiry looking at the recovery of the UK as a holiday destination for international travellers.

It will also investigate how the UK promotes itself overseas; its position as a “soft power superpower”; and the “role of culture and heritage in the UK’s position on the global stage”.

Called Promoting Britain Abroad, the inquiry has been launched by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee.

The committee said inbound tourism to the UK was worth more than £28.4 billion in 2019 and employed four million people before the pandemic.

However, amid the Covid crisis, inbound tourism spending fell to £6.2 billion in 2020, a decline of 78% on 2019. It is currently forecast to reach £5.3 billion this year.

In June 2021, the government announced its ’Tourism Recovery Plan’ which seeks to recover domestic overnight trip volume and spend by the end of 2022, and inbound visitor numbers and spend by the end of 2023.

Trade body UKinbound said it will submit a response and is asking its members to add their input. The deadline for submissions is January 6, 2022.

More: UKinbound to continue to lobby for sector support through winter

Joss Croft, UKinbound chief executive, said: “Since the beginning of the pandemic we have consistently presented government with clear evidence of the crippling effects of Covid-19 on the UK’s fifth largest export industry, inbound tourism.

“We have outlined the desperate need for tailored support and presented grant proposals, all which clearly outlined how inbound tourism can accelerate the UK’s economic recovery.

“The inbound tourism industry is looking to 2022 with a sense of optimism, but Brand Britain and portraying internationally that the UK is open for business, welcoming and a safe place to visit has never been more important.”

UKinbound has also written to transport secretary Grant Shapps and culture secretary Nadine Dorries, asking them to ensure that any changes to the UK’s ‘fully vaccinated’ criteria do not derail the recovery of the tourism industry.

Croft added: “We can’t lose sight of the impact that day two testing for vaccinated arrivals is having on our industry, as many potential international arrivals continue to visit alternative destinations across Europe where testing for those fully vaccinated isn’t required.”

Picture by Fellers Photography/Shutterstock