WTTC: Government ‘sabotaging’ UK tourism
Trade body the World Travel and Tourism Council claims the UK government is ‘sabotaging” the tourism industry.
It comes as its latest data shows international visitors spent more than £2bn less in 2024 compared to before the pandemic.
The WTTC said visitors spent around £40.3bn in 2024, which is down 5.3% on 2019.
It blames the government’s policies for creating ‘barriers to travel.’
It points to the lack of a return of tax-free shopping, the expensive air passenger duty fees, as well as electronic travel authorisations.
“We’ve not got back to where we need to be whereas the rest of the world has,” said Julia Simpson, president of the WTTC.
“This government is all about growth. Yet here we have a private sector enterprise, travel and tourism, contributing 10% of UK GDP, but we are not prioritising it in any way.”
Retailers which target foreign visitors have long said the lack of VAT-free shopping puts it at a competitive disadvantage.
“The UK is losing value share compared to other European partners,” Simpson added.
The WTTC also criticised a cut to VisitBritain’s budget by more than 40% for 2025.
“You need to sell the UK. It’s really important that you create stories about the UK so that international visitors come to all our regions.”
“The UK is one of the most visited countries in the world and international tourism drives billions into our economy,” a government spokesperson said.
“We are supporting the continued growth of this industry and will be launching a national visitor economy strategy this autumn.”
The WTTC study was produced in partnership with Oxford Economics.
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