Heathrow is not the long-term answer to the UK’s aviation capacity needs, shadow tourism secretary Tobias Ellwood believes.
The MP for Bournemouth East hopes to succeed Margaret Hodge in a beefed-up tourism ministerial role if the Conservatives win the general election.
The Tories have been the only major party to pledge a more senior role for a tourism minister, echoing Travel Weekly’s Yes Minister campaign demanding a dedicated senior post. The campaign has won widespread support and a petition on the Downing Street website is closing in on 1,000 signatures.
So Travel Weekly asked Ellwood about his views on key travel industry issues, including airport expansion, one of five areas highlighted in Abta’s Travel Matters manifesto.
“We have developed our main international airport downwind of our capital city, so from a long-term perspective Heathrow is not the option to pour huge sums of money into,” Ellwood said.
Heathrow debate
“I do not know what the answer is right now but it is unfortunate we have allowed the location of our main airport where it is. It’s important we rationalise demand for air travel in London.
“It’s the sort of thing we need to have a fresh and sober debate about.
“I cannot see Heathrow disappearing completely. In the same way we have sub-airports now, there’s nothing to prevent another location from developing as a main hub for the big carriers.”
Ellwood said the debate was not about whether the UK opts for either Heathrow or the so-called “Boris island” proposed new airport in the Thames Estuary.
However, he believes the UK’s main airport should be sited east of London, near the coast and high-speed rail links. “It makes sense to put your main airport somewhere near the sea, because that way it upsets the fewest number of people,” he added.
Asked about the economic impact of relocating the UK’s hub airport, he said given the timescales it would take, people would move to where the jobs were and the neighbourhoods surrounding Heathrow would adapt.
Tourism minister
Although the Tories support a stronger role in government for the tourism minister, it is clear the party’s focus, as Labour’s is now, will be on domestic and inbound tourism.
Ellwood said his main task would be to close the £18 billion tourism deficit – the difference between what Brits spend abroad and what is spent by domestic and inbound visitors.
“For every £100 spent on tourism by Brits, £65 is spent abroad. My first priority must be to the British tourism industry,” he said.
“That’s not to deny that there are employers that look after overseas visits but in many cases they have an interest in both.”
Ellwood said he wanted to promote the idea of Brits holidaying at home but added that better promotion of Britain overseas, particularly to take advantage of the London Olympics, would be key to closing the tourism deficit.
“We all enjoy a holiday abroad – that is not going to disappear,” he said.
“But the downturn has obliged people to see what’s under their noses, the wonderful world of what there is here in the UK.
“The Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Red tape reduction
Ellwood said the Tories were committed to cutting regulation for small businesses, another key demand Abta made, and spoke out against the recent changes in Air Passenger Duty.
He admitted to not knowing much about some of the central issues specific to the outbound industry, such as Atol reform, but said these were not issues the industry had actively raised with him.
“My focus will be on British tourism but if there are people in the outbound industry with issues I would encourage them to step forward and keep communicating.
“To be honest they haven’t exactly been queuing up knocking my door down.”
Also in this series
- ‘We can’t neglect outbound’: Don Foster, Liberal Democrat
- Coming up: Margaret Hodge, Labour