Tourism minister Barbara Follett (pictured with VisitBritain chairman Christopher Rodrigues) opened the Best of Britain and Ireland show yesterday by urging the domestic tourism industry to "make a difference" in moving the UK out of recession.

She said a successful tourism industry could help create a "shorter road to recovery".

More than 2,OOO trade visitors are expected at the exhibition over two days at the ExCel Arena, plus 2O,OOO consumers over the weekend when the event is open to the public.

Follett said 2OO9 should be seen as an opportunity at a time when VAT levels have been lowered to encourage more UK holidays.

She identified food and service as two key attributes of the UK tourism industry.

"We didn't used to be famous for our food, we used to be infamous for it," she said. "Now we are famous for it and we are famous for our service."

Follett said: "Whilst the industry faces some challenges there are lots of opportunities. Our currency won't always be soft, our VAT won't always be this low, so let's use it to attract people and keep them coming back.

She went on to describe tourism as "a vital industry for our economy".


by Phil Davies