Recognising the importance of remaining in the EU to its members, UKinbound will continue its efforts to emphasise the importance of the inbound tourism sector maintaining the theme of ‘Staying GREAT’ which has been the reigning focus throughout the Annual Convention in support of VisitBritain’s GREAT tourism campaign.
UKinbound, one of the leading trade associations which represents 350 members of the travel and tourism industry in Britain, has revealed that 82% of its members believe that staying in the EU is important to their business.
The announcement made at UKinbound’s Annual Convention, taking place for the first time in Scotland in over a decade, at Macdonald Aviemore Resort, follows the Prime Minister’s recent request asking the business community to share their views on EU membership.
Addressing the matter, Mark McVay, Chairman at UKinbound commented, “Our member survey findings highlight overwhelming support for Britain to remain in the EU. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as the EU is an extremely important source market for tourism. It is important to our country’s economy that we make it as easy as possible for people to travel here, not isolate ourselves from the market which collectively brought two-thirds of our visitors in 2015.”
Hailed as one of the leading contributors to the economy, overseas visitor spending in the UK contributed £22bn last year with each inbound visitor subsidising an additional £630 in export earnings and bestowing £216 to the Exchequer – statistics which UKinbound highlight as a pivotal role in which inbound tourism plays within the economy.
Recognising the importance of remaining in the EU to its members, UKinbound will continue its efforts to emphasise the importance of the inbound tourism sector maintaining the theme of ‘Staying GREAT’ which has been the reigning focus throughout the Annual Convention in support of VisitBritain’s GREAT tourism campaign.
UKinbound’s Chief Executive Officer, Deirdre Wells OBE comments, “We are fortunate to have a major market – the EU – right here on our doorstep. Our members have been welcoming visitors from our European neighbours for decades. They bring much needed revenue to the UK, creating valuable jobs for the UK economy. We need to continue to do all we can to attract more visitors to the UK – and saying “yes” to staying in the EU sends a clear message that we are open for business”.
The Association’s ‘Tourism ABC’ campaign will progress into 2016, calling upon the Government to Acknowledge that tourism is a contributor to both the economy and employment generation, Build a strong infrastructure to allow the industry to deliver to its full and ever-growing potential and Commit to making the UK more accessible through reviewing the tourism taxation, and improving the competitiveness of the UK’s visa system.
Wells commented further, “At a time when we have no decision on an additional runway, fluctuating exchange rates and proposed visa fee increases, now more than ever we need the Government to Acknowledge, Build and Commit to our inbound tourism industry which generates billions for the economy and accounts for almost one in 10 jobs across the UK. We are GREAT but we need to stay GREAT to keep breaking those international visitor records.”
UKinbound recognised seven of its members with Awards for Excellence 2016, at the Association’s Annual Convention gala dinner.
Chairman of the Tourism Alliance, Bernard Donoghue, who chaired the shortlisting panel, presented the awards in front of an audience of over 200 at an appropriately-themed ‘Ceilidh’ gala dinner at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort, in Scotland.
UKinbound Chairman Mark McVay said, “Our awards give deserved recognition to businesses, big and small, from the travel and tourism sector who have excelled in their individual categories. What makes them so special is that they are voted for by their peers from within the industry”.
The Tour Operator of the Year was awarded to JacTravel; the Attraction of the Year award went to Hampton Court (Historical Royal Palace); Marriott Hotels won Accommodation Provider of the Year for the second year running. London & Partners was awarded with Destination Marketing Company of the Year. Service Provider of the Year – Professional Services was awarded, for the sixth year running, to made. City Cruises won Service Provider of the Year – Transport and Sightseeing. Restaurant, Retail and Ticketing Service Provider of the Year was awarded to Encore Tickets.
In addition, earlier in the day, McVay presented his Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism to, Fergus Ewing, the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism and Member of the Scottish Parliament representing the constituency of Inverness & Nairn, for his demonstrated continuity and commitment to ensuring that Scotland is a world class destination for the inbound market.
McVay said that all UKinbound members deserved recognition, commenting “Despite a tough year, inbound tourism is still one of the UK’s success stories. With inbound tourists expected to break spending records, it has been suggested that overseas visitors to the UK will spend almost £23 billion throughout 2016, a projected 4.2% increase on spending in 2015. I would like to thank each and every one of our members for contributing to this success”.
The UKinbound awards were presented during the Association’s Annual Convention, themed around ‘Staying GREAT’, which took place 10-12 February in Scotland, for the first time in over a decade. The event featured an impressive line-up of speakers including Marc Crothall, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, Damian Cook, Founder and CEO of E-Tourism Frontiers and Charlie Smith, Marketing Director of VisitScotland.
Macdonald Hotels & Resorts Deputy Chief Executive Ruaridh Macdonald said: “We are delighted to be hosting such a significant event. The tourism industry is the backbone of the Highland economy and Macdonald Aviemore Resort is dedicated to doing everything it can during its half centenary year and beyond to support and encourage growth. Our recent £8 million investment indicates our commitment to Aviemore, Scotland, the UK and beyond.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
