december 2006 NEWSLETTER
Tourism Alliance Welcome>Legacy Submission
The Tourism Alliance has responded to DCMS’s Welcome>Legacy consultation on the development of a tourism strategy to maximise the tourism-related benefits associated with staging the 2012 Olympic Games. The key components of the submission are:
- DCMS takes ownership of the strategy and its delivery against the target of £1.6bn in additional tourism expenditure over the period of the strategy.
- A Joint Olympics Tourism Co-ordination Unit is established to plan and deliver the marketing and communications strategy.
- An Advisory Council be established to provide regional and industry input into the Joint Unit’s activities.
- An Olympics Tourism Forum be established with members drawn from a wide range of tourism interests to co-ordinate activities and provide consistent and coherent marketing and communications across the wider tourism industry.
- Government provides adequate funding for the marketing and communications strategy via a public-private partnership.
DCMS is now considering the submissions and it is expected that the resultant strategy will be published in May 2007.
Click Here for a copy of the full submission
Tories launch tourism task force
The Conservative Party has just announced the formation of a Task Force to develop a new tourism policy for the party. The Task Force will be lead by former BTA Board Member, John Lewis, will look at developing a tourism policy that strengthens the tourism industry and ensure that its status and profile within Government are raised. The five key areas that the Taskforce will be asked to address are;
- Promoting green tourism
- Reinvigorating our seaside towns
- Promoting the family holiday – both to British and overseas markets
- Harnessing the Olympics
- Reforming the structures and mechanisms involved in marketing Britain
Bed TAx: Scotland, Italy & NZ say no !
There has been considerable international consideration, and sound rejection of, bed taxes lately. In Scotland, the recommendation of the Scottish Local Government Finance Review Committee that, “consideration should be given to introducing a discretionary power for local authorities to apply a tourism tax” has rejected by the tourism industry and the CBI in Scotland as being counter to the aims of the Parliament to promote and grow the Scottish tourism economy.
In Italy, the Government has confirmed that a recent proposal to introduce an “accommodation tax” for tourists in 2007 has officially been abolished with the issuing of press release stating that“There will be no additional national or local taxes for tourists visiting Italy - this is great news for potential travellers to Italy”.
Finally, in New Zealand, the Tourism Industry Association has rejected a proposed tourism tax being introduced to help pay for a new stadium in Auckland, stating the funds for the replacement to Eden Park should be funded through a mixture of rates, sponsorship and commercial partnerships.
Meanwhile, in England it appears that the publication of the Lyons Review will be delayed until the New Year with rumours that it could be delayed until February so that the Government is not required to respond to it before the Local Government elections.
The Queens Speech
The Queen’s speech contained a range of proposed bills that will affect the UK tourism industry. Among these are bills that give new powers to the Mayor of London, a Planning Reform Bill that will incorporate the recommendations of the Barker Review of Planning Legislation and a Climate Change Bill that will seek to give effect to the Stern Report on Climate Change. This Bill will set a target of a 60% reduction in emissions by 2050 and the establishment of an independent panel to monitor progress.
In addition, a draft bill will be published to tackle road congestion and to improve public transport based of the Eddington report on transport infrastructure that was recently published. This will include provisions being introduced to extend road pricing schemes which will be of particular concern to domestic tourism as about 80% of it is car based.
Statistics and Registration Service Bill
The Statistics and Registration Service Bill was introduced in the Commons on 21 November 2006. The aim of this new Bill is to reinforce the independence, integrity and quality of statistics produced in government so that they help improve evidence-based policy making, contributing to better public services and long-term stability in the UK economy.
The Bill will create a new independent Board, outside of Ministerial control, which will be constituted by a majority of external, non-executive, members. The Board will have a statutory responsibility to promote and safeguard the quality and comprehensiveness of official statistics across the UK, covering England, Wales, Scotland.
Click Here for a link to the new Bill
new visitbritain chairman
Christopher Rodrigues has been appointed as the new chair of VisitBritain. He will take up the post from 1 January 2007, when the current chair, Lord Colin Marshall of Knightsbridge, steps down after two years in the role.
Christopher Rodrigues has been president and chief executive at Visa International from 2004-2006. Between 1996 and 2004 he was group chief executive at Bradford & Bingley, leading the process towards its initial placement in 2000 and entry to the FTSE 100 list in 2002. Between 1988 and 1996 he was chief operating officer and group chief executive at Thomas Cook. Earlier in his career he was a manager at McKinsey & Co, before spending 9 years with American Express.
He was a founder non-executive director of the Financial Services Authority (1997-2003). He has been an independent non-executive director at Ladbrokes plc (formerly Hilton Group plc) since 2003, and is an executive committee member of the World Travel & Tourism Council and was a member of the Council and executive committee of the National Trust.
New OEF Aviation report
Oxford Economics have just released a report on the economic contribution of aviation to the UK economy. The study, which builds on a similar study that they undertook in 1999, not only looks at the aviation sector itself but assesses the ‘catalytic’ impact of the aviation industry. This is the impact and importance of the aviation industry in helping other sectors to operate more efficiently in the global economy, thereby supporting growth across the UK economy.
Central to this is an assessment of the importance of aviation to the UK tourism industry which will be of interest.
Click Here for a copy of the report
More Transport and Aviation reports
Transport and aviation are high on the Government agenda at the moment as a result of the somewhat competing needs to improve the UK’s transport system while, at the same time, prevent climate change.
Rod Eddington (former CEO at BA) has released his independent study on what needs to be done to ensure that the UK’s transport infrastructure is able to fully contribute to the country's future economic growth and productivity.
The main recommendations of his report are that the Government should;
1. Firstly focus on maximising the efficiency of the current network and reduce congestion at “pinch-points”.
2. Secondly, concentrate on the three key areas of reducing congestion, improving key intercity corridors and improving key international gateways
3. Introduce pricing mechanisms to meet economic and environmental goals
4. Introduce an Independent Planning Commission to make decisions on projects of strategic importance
- Reform regional transport responsibilities.
Also due for release before the end of the year is the DfT’s report on progress in implementing the “Future of Air Transport” White Paper’s policies and proposals.
Click Here for a copy of the Eddington Transport Study
Click Here for a copy of the 2006 Transport Statistics
Barker Review out
Forget about the festive season, this is turning out to be the Independent Report season. First there was the Stern Report, then the Eddington Report and now the Barker Report.
The Barker Report on Land Use Planning aims to create a planning regime that is more responsive to changing circumstances, delivers decisions in a timely and transparent manner and supports and contributes to the economic growth of the country while ensuring environmental protection and sustainability.
The report contains a series of recommendations aimed at improving the flexibility and responsiveness of the planning process, increasing the efficiency of the process and ensure that land is used in a more efficient manner.
Key within the recommendations is a need to change attitudes towards planning and planners, both within councils and the profession itself and within the private sector. To this end the report states the need to enhance the skills, resources and status of planners and for the private sector to work more in partnership with planners.
Two recommendations of interest to tourism are updating of planning policy with regard to economic development to clarify the need to take full account of the economic benefits of development applications and reforming the planning process for major infrastructure projects (mirroring the recommendation in the Eddington Study.
Click Here for a copy of the Barker Report
MAC Consultation
The Tourism Alliance recently attended a breakfast briefing with Home Secretary John Reid and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne to discuss the launch of a consultation on a new Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).
It is proposed that the MAC be a panel of independent expert advisors who would foster a more open and rational debate on what level of migration is right for Britain by reviewing the case for migration in the context of UK labour market trends and skills gaps.
It would contribute an authoritative view on migration statistics which the Home Secretary acknowledged might be more likely to command public confidence than government figures do, and it would advise on issues such as the qualifications and skills standards (including English language) required by potential migrants in terms of the points they will need under the points-based system, due to be phased in from April 2008.
Deadline for responses is 31 January 2007. The intention is to have the new MAC members appointed by April 2007.
Click Here for a copy of the consultation document
The Tourism Alliance
The Tourism Alliance is the Voice of the Tourism Industry.
Established in 2001 with the support of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Tourism Alliance comprises almost 50 Tourism Industry Organisations that together represent some 200,000 businesses of all sizes throughout the UK.
The purpose of the Tourism Alliance is to identify and develop policies and strategies to raise standards and promote quality within the industry and work with and lobby government on all key issues relevant to the growth and development of tourism and its contribution to the economy.
Chairman: Tony Millns
President: Richard Lambert
Policy Director: Kurt Janson
Email:
Telephone: 020 7395 8246 Fax: 020 7395 8178 Mobile: 07964428123
Website:
Tourism Alliance: Centre Point, 103 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1DU
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