THE GOVERNMENT has admitted lessons need to be learnt over the
handling of the foot-and-mouth crisis following the starkest criticism yet for
the tourism industry.
The response follows accusations by British Hospitality
Association chief executive Bob Cotton that the Government reacted too slowly
in helping the trade.
In a letter to the secretary of state for culture, media and
sport Tessa Jowell, Cotton hit out at the Government’s response to the crisis
as “solely dictated by the farming interests”, and demanded a public inquiry
into the outbreak and its impact.
A Government spokeswoman said: “There are obvious lessons to
be learnt by Government and the industry when it comes to foot and mouth. One
of the clear things to come out of this crisis is that tourism is an immensely important
part of the economy.”