13/08/2009 - Tourism 'poorly regarded' in UK
Tourism in the UK is slipping further behind international competitors and not reaching its full potential, according to a report.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), in conjunction with hotel company Travelodge, said that tourism was "poorly regarded", despite being the fifth largest sector of the UK economy. Around 1.4 million people are employed in the sector which generates revenues of £86 billion.
Tourism currently falls under the remit of the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), but the report said it would be better covered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Annually, the public sector spends £350 million on support for the tourism industry, but only £50 million of this comes from the DCMS, the rest was "filtered through numerous different departments with little or no accountability to the minister responsible for tourism".
Dr Adam Marshall, BCC director of policy, said: "This is a sector which can rapidly create jobs, even in the current economic conditions, yet it suffers from an extremely confused support structure."
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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