In advance of several high-profile events, including Prince William's royal wedding, the 2012 Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, British Tourism Minister John Penrose has introduced a government action plan designed to help the United Kingdom turn international publicity into maximum tourism growth, the British Department of Culture, Media and Sport announced this month.
"The U.K. tourism industry is very big business indeed," Penrose said in a statement. "It generates £90 billion for the economy every year, employing 1.36 million people and supporting more than 200,000 businesses, large and small. So it's no surprise that the government sees it as a key element in our plans to grow the economy and get Britain back on its feet. And by making the most of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics next year, the industry has a fantastic chance to step up a further gear and make an even greater contribution to our national recovery."
Penrose's plan, known as the "Government Tourism Policy," is part of a larger tourism marketing strategy that was launched in January with the goal of attracting 4 million extra overseas visitors over the next four years, which would create 50,000 new jobs and generate an extra £2 billion in visitor spending.
A response to Prime Minister David Cameron's request that Penrose establish tourism priorities and action steps, the 54-page policy paper suggests:
• Lengthening Britain's tourism season by creating a new holiday;
• Creating additional apprenticeships and workforce development opportunities for the tourism industry;
• Making it easier, faster and more convenient to get a tourist visa;
• Restructuring local tourism boards to make them smaller and more focused;
• Broadening its tourism product by creating alternative destinations to London;
• Improving tourism technology via iPhone and Android apps; and
• Creating an industry task force, led by industry leaders, to "cut red tape" by identifying tourism rules, regulations, inspections and forms that are "holding the industry back."
"The prime minister asked me last year to prepare a report on the industry and to set out positive steps that we could take to promote growth," Penrose said. "This strategy paper is the result: a simple blueprint of practical ideas that show what can be done when government departments and agencies work together towards a common goal. The next four years are set to be the most important and successful for this industry in more than a generation. The challenge is huge, but the rewards for us all could be greater still."