UK tourism a ‘Cinderella sector’ – Hoseasons boss
Hoseasons chief Richard Carrick has attacked the government following the appointment of the eighth tourism minister in almost as many years.
Barbara Follett took up the role as the eighth tourism minister in 11 years last week within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
But tourism responsibilities also lie within eight other departments: the new Department of Energy and Climate Change; the Department for Transport; the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills; the Home Office; and the Treasury, according to Hoseasons.
Carrick, the operator’s chief executive, called for a ‘joined-up’ policy to champion the industry following Follett’s appointment.
He criticised the lack of seriousness with which Government takes domestic tourism – which is worth £85 billion to the economy each year.
“How can tourism be properly represented at government level when its minister is so far down the food chain, and when it is looked after by a disjointed group of departments, all of which have different priorities?†Carrick asked.
“How can any minister do the job properly when they are in it for so little time? Successive governments have simply ignored how important tourism is to the UK economy, with the result that we are continually the Cinderella sector.â€
He added: “With the economic situation worsening, 2009 actually represents a golden opportunity for the domestic industry.
“People will still want to go on holiday, but they will look to do so closer to home. It seems crazy, at a time when the UK economy needs all the help it can get, that government is not taking this huge potential seriously.â€
Carrick, who last week criticised key speakers at the ABTA Travel Convention for ignoring domestic tourism (see previous TravelMole story), pointed out that the industry accounts for 3.5% of the UK’s economy, employing 2.1 million people – 7.7% of the workforce. It also earns Britain more than £16 billion in export earnings.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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