21 January 2010

PM attacked for foreign holiday aspiration

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has come under fire for suggesting that Britons should aspire to taking holidays abroad.

His comments at the weekend drew criticism from leading domestic holiday operator Hoseasons.

The company’s chief executive Richard Carrick, in a letter to The Times, said: "I was dismayed to read that Gordon Brown wants us all to aspire to holidays abroad.

"Tourism is one of Britain’s biggest industries; it employs more than two million people and contributes four per cent of GDP.

"Yet every year Britain runs up a tourism deficit of £17 billion, largely because of our love of overseas holidays."

Carrick added: "Surely the Prime Minister should be doing everything he can to encourage people to have wonderful holidays in Britain, rather than shovel them on to cramped charter flights to enrich other nations and impoverish our own?"

by Phil Davies

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Your Comments (8)

PM does support British holidays!

The PM really helped tourism in the East of England in 2008 when he chose to holiday in Suffolk. So he DOES support (and enjoy) British holidays!

By Helen Oldfield, Monday, January 25, 2010
Leopard and spots---

---- comes to mind with Richard Carrick's statement. I don't think he'd have been saying that in his tour operating days at Airtours and if "shoveling" people onto "cramped" charter flights is the name of the game he must have been one of those responsible for it! We know you like the publicity Richard but how about promoting that overseas holidays and Uk ones can easily co-exist.

By nigel wallington, Thursday, January 21, 2010
'Flying the flag!'

In the current deficit phenomenon, a British PM should be promoting British first at every opportunity! There's no excuse for this verbal blunder. (Richard, interesting to see how many of your sparring travel providers didn't miss a self-promo opportunity of their own on your blog!!)

By Guy Massey, Thursday, January 21, 2010
Well, well... anything for a bit of PR!

Going skiing this year, Richard, assuming Peter doesn't tempt you...?! :) Steve

By Steve Allen, Thursday, January 21, 2010
Get Real

The British public have always aspired to travel abroad and the PM is no different than anyone else. If like many people he is able to take more than one holiday a year, then he should stay in the UK for one of them. We should all do this.

By Kevin Bonner-Williams, Thursday, January 21, 2010
aspirations

Be honest, people do have aspirations to have a foreign holiday, they do not have aspirations for rainy week in August at Skegness or Bognor. This is probably the most honest statement that Gordon Brown has said for years. We should not criticise a politician for being honest, it occurs once every blue moon, or once every sunny UK summer season.

By Nick Cooper, Thursday, January 21, 2010
It's got to be a balance

Of course, it's got to be a balance. We'll never get the tourism balance of payments back in credit, that's a fact, and people have every right to aspire to the great opportunities that overseas holidays offer (including the weather and real relaxation and recharging of batteries ready for the next 50 weeks in the UK) - but at the same time there are too many UK residents who have never taken a holiday at home - and they're the ones we should all be targeting to "try it, you might like it".

By martin evans, Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Better Solution

Richard - a better solution is to take a voyage out of Southampton, avoid the hassle of an airport, visit a variety of international destinations and each time we turn a ship in Southampton the local UK economy benefits to the tune of &#pound;1m. Everybody wins. Peter

By Peter Shanks, Thursday, January 21, 2010