Industry worried as Tourism Minister goes
The travel industry is dismayed about the departure of Tourism Minister John Penrose.
Luke Pollard, head of public affairs at ABTA, said
the association was concerned as it believes there are no plans to replace him.
"The travel industry called for a Minister in order to oversee an effective tourism strategy and we have been encouraged to see progress in this area," said Pollard.
"We are awaiting confirmation from Government as to where the tourism portfolio will now sit. The Government has said that tourism is a key driver of economic growth and it is vital that we have clear leadership in place at a time when the tourism legacy from the Olympics needs to be secured and the contribution from outbound, inbound and domestic tourism still needs to be properly understood.
"We will seek an early meeting with the new Secretary of State, Maria Miller to understand the Government’s thinking."
Penrose was the victim of a government reshuffle.
In a statement to his constituency, Weston-super-Mare, he said: "I’m very proud of the work I did as part of the DCMS team, boosting the tourism industry, cutting red tape and helping with a highly successful Olympic Games.
"The good news is now I’ll be able to fight even harder for our area. I’m looking forward to it hugely."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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