HMG 'invests £40 million and cuts red tape to boost tourism across England'

Last Friday, the Government announced some initiatives it indicated were designed to bolster the tourist trade in England.

According to the press release:

• Towns and cities from across England will benefit from a £40 million fund to deliver new tourism outside London and ease travel around Britain.

• The first grants from the £40 million Discover England fund have been awarded to projects and organisations in different geographic areas to join up and create offers that can attract tourism outside of London.

• Funding will go on projects to shine a spotlight on some of the country’s great cultural and sporting assets, from music festivals to championship golf courses and our world-class cuisine. This investment in tourism and support for local businesses will ensure that Britain remains a world beating destination for visitors from across the globe.

• 2015 was a record-breaking year for UK tourism - with over 36 million overseas visitors spending £22.1 billion. The tourism industry and the Government are working hand in hand to build on this success to generate more investment and jobs right across the country.

The Government also published its Tourism Action Plan which includes a series of new initiatives and measures ‘to help Britain out-compete other major tourism destinations, welcoming more international visitors than ever before and see more “staycations” as Brits holiday at home’.

The new initiatives include:

• Making travel easier with a new GREAT tourism rail offer, including five new easy to book rail itineraries to help tourists seamlessly travel around the UK.
• Addressing the industry’s seasonal nature through a flexible apprenticeship scheme that allows training to be completed over 16-18 months rather than 12, with breaks included.
• Cutting red tape with sensible regulation by changing licensing to allow B&Bs to offer a welcome drink, and modifying vehicle licensing will allow B&B owners to pick up visitors from train stations.

 The press release can be found here: 'Government invests £40 million and cuts red tape to boost tourism across England'.