Culture Secretary Maria Miller today launched a tourism partnership strategy for Britain which demands the travel industry and the govt, consisting of key private and non-private sector bodies, to unite behind a protracted-term ambition for growth that may see Britain welcome 40 million overseas visitors by 2020, spending £31.5 billion and supporting another 200,000 jobs around the country.
Tourism is an industry that already employs 2.6 million people a year – supporting one in twelve jobs within the UK.
In the past two years a 3rd of all new jobs created were in tourism.
And tourism offers jobs across all skills levels and age ranges, particularly offering opportunities for teenagers – 40 per cent of these employed in tourism are under 40.
International tourism is already an industry at which Britain competes well.
Last year Britain welcomed 31 million international visitors who spent £18.6 billion – a record amount.
The aim of this partnership strategy is to deliver an additional 29 per cent growth in visits by 2020, that increase would deliver an extra £8.7 billion in foreign currency echange earnings.
The growth strategy is built around four key objectives:
- Building on Britain’s improved international image.
- Increasing engagement with the travel trade.
- Broadening the product range on offer for inbound tourists.
- Making it easier to get to Britain.
VisitBritain’s GREAT activity for 2013/14 will seek to keep up the attention and image boost created by London 2012.
The campaign will target strongly performing growth markets, Brazil, China, India and the Gulf together with established markets USA, France and Germany.
Over the last two years, VisitBritain’s marketing programme has directly contributed £900 million to the united kingdom tourism industry, a return on investment of 18 to at least one.
VisitBritain has up to now secured £24 million in match-funding from the non-public sector, doubling the govt. investment.
Emirates
And today VisitBritain is announcing a £2 million, two-year partnership with Emirates to advertise Britain overseas.
The deal will include a mixture of promoting in kind and cash payments.
Emirates cover a limiteless network of routes and destinations across South East Asia, Australia, India and the GCC and offer regional gateways across Britain.
The GCC region now signifies great potential for inbound visits to Britain.
By 2016 we forecast that 700,000 visitors can be welcomed representing a 32 per cent increase.
As portion of the expansion strategy the organisation announces its new regional hub in Dubai as a way to enable it to arrive around the GCC including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait City and Qatar.
VisitBritain – that is already on the forefront of partnership working – will take a look at creative ways that existing resources, platforms and promotional material may be used by other organisations.
This is predicted to incorporate private sector partners and public diplomacy teams in source markets reminiscent of Mexico and South Korea.
Reflecting the responses from the consultation, the method reiterates the significance of commercial tourism and the facility of major events to extend visitor numbers, VisitBritain will build at the work already being executed on this area – particularly in supporting major event bids, and using its overseas network to supply key insights and trade engagement.
Miller said: “Tourism is central to the Government’s economic growth strategy.
“It’s worth £115 billion to our economy a year and we have to ensure we retain a competitive edge and might compete with other destinations around the globe.
“With the good campaign we’re selling the simplest of england, building on strengths to spice up tourism income right around the country.”