Government polices have hindered rather than eased the UK’s ability to attract tourists, MPs have warned.
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee found that the inbound travel sector was decimated by the pandemic “and now has a long haul back to its previous success, let alone to surpass it”.
In an increasingly competitive environment, “Britain cannot afford simply to be an attractive place to visit, it must also facilitate people coming here”.
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The cross-party group of MPs found a “worrying lack of money” for marketing.
“Regardless of how the pot is divided up, Britain’s international marketing spend is significantly lower than elsewhere.
“Just as shocking is the fact that our British tourist authority faces incredible hurdles in even spending what it has been given.
“We want to see a more light-touch relationship between government and VisitBritain,” the committee said.
“Overall, we believe that the government fails to recognise the value of the inbound tourism industry. If it did, it would not have reduced its marketing spend and made it harder for people to visit and less likely to spend.”
The committee’s report, published today (Monday), said: “Perhaps our most shocking finding of all is the fact that government policies have not made the industry’s job easier, they have made them harder.
“The government’s original decision to remove tax-free shopping was both short-sighted and incredibly damaging given how much some of our richest visitors spend in the UK.
“Its short-lived revival – announced in September’s fiscal event but then removed in October – only serves to highlight the inadequacy of the Treasury’s original analysis of its impact.
“We did not see any evidence that the Treasury considered the effect that losing these visitors would have on the wider tourism economy.
“Just as damaging has been the ban on children and young people using identity cards to visit the UK. Many of our coastal resorts rely on income from school visits and English language courses, but many of those who attend do not have passports.
“Yet again, we have seen the government make a decision in which no apparent thought has been given to the inbound tourism industry.”
The inbound tourist sector is also too reliant on London, according to the inquiry which was instigated in November 2021.
“Visitors don’t know enough about what else there is to see and, even if they do, don’t know how to get there,” the committee’s report added.
“Travelling beyond the capital does not have to be a zero-sum game: London may be the magnet, but it can also be a gateway through which visitors see far more.
“We want to see a renewed focus on one of the key barriers, namely transport.
“If we rely on reputation alone, visitors will go elsewhere.”
The government has two months to respond to the findings in the report.
UKinbound chief executive Joss Croft said in response: “We warmly welcome the committee’s findings and its thorough report into the Promotion of Britain internationally, which highlights serious government shortcomings and failures but also presents clear recommendations that would create growth across the whole of the UK.
“We support every recommendation presented by the committee and thank it for undertaking the inquiry, but what we need now is action and a clear commitment from government to support the UK’s inbound visitor economy. This includes undertaking a full cost-benefit assessment before deciding on the future of tax-free shopping, running a comprehensive risk-based assessment of the removal of ID cards for under 18’s traveling to the UK as part of a school and cultural group, and investing in the marketing of the UK internationally.
“The UK is a global tourism powerhouse, but with every month of government inaction that passes, our ability to compete and draw valuable international visitors to the UK waivers, but with a new prime minister expected in days, now is the time for action and an opportunity to turn the tide.”
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