Government signals intention to secure tourism sector deal

At a meeting of the Government’s Tourism Industry Council this week the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright, confirmed the Government will begin negotiations with the sector on an ‘ambitious’ Industrial Strategy sector deal that will benefit the whole country.

As part of this process, the Minister called upon the industry to respond with a renewed commitment to promote its offer throughout the year, not just in the peak summer months, and increase clear career paths.

The sector has been asked to look at the key themes of:

• Making tourism and hospitality a career for life
• Making the UK the most accessible tourism industry in the world
• Sharing industry data to identify growth opportunities in new and emerging markets
• Increasing accommodation capacity

Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said:

“The tourism industry is one of the UK’s most successful exports. Every time a leisure or business traveller chooses to visit, it brings investment in our economy and supports jobs across the country. But we are in a competitive global market and we need to be ambitious to maintain the fantastic growth we have seen in recent years.”

“I want to make sure that we continue to attract visitors to all parts of the UK throughout the year, who are welcomed by a highly-trained and highly-motivated workforce.”

“A Sector Deal is a way to deliver this, and the industry have put forward some strong ideas to Government. We are ready to formally negotiate on a deal which can boost productivity in this crucial sector.”

“I want to achieve the best deal possible for tourism and know that the industry will respond with renewed energy to achieve this.”

Negotiations are now planned to take place between Government and the Sector, following this week’s meeting.

Six sector deals between Government and industry have been published over the past year – from construction and automotive, to nuclear and the creative industries, including £1.9 billion of investment in life sciences and £1 billion for artificial intelligence. Sector deals are designed to attract investment and growth, and ensure we have the skilled, diverse workforce we need for the future.

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The Government’s Tourism Industry Council met this week, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright, confirmed the Government will begin negotiations with the sector on an ‘ambitious’ Industrial Strategy sector deal that will benefit the whole country.  Further details are included in our article.