Christopher Rodrigues, chairman of VisitBritain makes the case for tourism’s power to create and sustain employment throughout the UK at the launch of the national tourism agency’s annual review for 2008/09.

“The tourism industry’s ability to deliver rapid employment and economic returns makes it a vital prop in sustaining Britain’s economy in turbulent times. As a labour intensive industry that buys many goods and services from other parts of the economy, it can drive economic growth more quickly than other sectors and should be central to efforts to bring the UK out of recession,” he comments in the foreword to the review.

“The £114 billion visitor economy offers significant returns on investment, with a national reach that is not restricted to one particular area or region of the country. The large number of tourism-related SMEs ensures that there are plenty of entry-level jobs that are accessible to all.”

Despite indications of a strong summer for domestic tourism and holiday visits up from near West European countries, Britain’s international competitiveness is far from secure in the current challenging economic climate. The 32 million visits to the UK from abroad last year represented a decline of three per cent. Despite visitor spending reaching £16.3 billion, a nominal rise of two per cent, it wasn’t sufficient to prevent Britain sliding to seventh place in the world league table. Inbound tourism continued to fall in the first six months of 2009 - down by nine per cent - with leisure visits up but corporate and business travel heavily affected.

A slower final quarter of the year could jeopardise some of the 2.6 million jobs and livelihoods that depend on healthy tourism receipts. Indeed VisitBritain’s forecasts the number of trips to Britain could fall by as much as five per cent come the end of the year.

Christopher Rodrigues adds: “In spite of these difficult times, I have no doubt that, by working closely with the Government, the industry and our strategic partners in London, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, we will emerge from this turbulent period in good shape.”

His comments come as VisitBritain publishes its annual review for 2008/09 and the strategy to support the continued prosperity of the tourism industry. Moving forward, the focus of the organisation will be to:
- Inspire travellers from overseas to visit and explore Britain
- Deliver a global network to support tourism promotion overseas
- Champion tourism and engage industry and Government in support of its growth
- Maximise the tourism legacy benefits of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

And so support the growth of the visitor economy and maximise the impact of public investment.