Lords call for strategy to promote music tourism
The Government is being called on to develop a new strategy to support music-based tourism.
A cross party group of influential peers has made a call in the House of Lords in response to the growing number of visitors to the UK for music festivals.
The debate’s sponsor LibDem Lord Storey said music festivals have been attracting "unprecedented numbers of overseas visitors" and have been pouring money into local economies.
He said the world’s "evident love" of the UK’s musical heritage should now be harnessed and used to support music tourism.
According to a 2011 report, music tourists are estimated to spend £1.4bn and sustain over 20,000 jobs.
"I have seen first-hand the positive impact music can make on local tourist economies," said Lord Storey.
"But, we must also consider the impact music can have on the country as a whole.
"Great Britain simply has too much potential for musical tourism for the Government to stand idly by. I strongly urge the Government to consider how best to implement a well defined music strategy."
Storey suggested that the Government should emphasise and engage with existing tourist bodies and authorities across Britain and help them market themselves as music tourist destinations.
Storey’s stance was supported by Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke, who is also a non-executive director of the national tourism agency VisitBritain.
The Labour peer said Glasgow’s indie venue King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut and events and festivals like T in the Park are well known, but she said a lot more could be done to support them.
"We are not doing as well as we could for music tourism. We need to have more resource behind promoting our music tourism," she argued.
"We have the talent, the determination and the worldwide focus. Let us make this a key pillar of our tourism strategy into the future."
UK Music, a campaigning and lobbying group representing the recorded and live music industry, is currently researching a major report on the economic impact of music tourism.
It is hoped the report will prompt the Government to team with VisitBritain, the music industry, the tourism and hospitality industries and others to identify the "real levers and barriers" to growing music tourism at national level.
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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