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Nick de Bois
VisitBritain suffered funding delay , costing the industry
The Committee also raised concerns about how long VisitBritain must wait for confirmation of its Comprehensive Spending Review funding and , particularly , its marketing spend approval .
This year ’ s delays in the Professional Assurance approval process meant VisitBritain was unable to undertake critical work in international markets and so damaged the recovery of the inbound tourism sector .
The Committee report noted : “ We welcome the fact that the Cabinet Office responded more quickly during lockdown , but this highlights not only the necessity of acting swiftly but also the Cabinet Office ’ s ability to do so . All marketing campaigns generate significant costs and so VisitBritain hits the threshold of £ 100,000 on most , if not all , of its work .
“ Given that the Government established VisitBritain to promote Britain abroad , it is nonsensical that approval processes are directly limiting its ability to do so . We recognise that £ 100,000 may be a useful threshold for non-marketing organisations but the nature of VisitBritain ’ s work means that it should have a much higher threshold for its campaign spend .”
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“ The de Bois
Review of DMO received widespread support from across the industry and it is unacceptable that the Government took 11 months to respond .”
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Nigel Huddleston MP
The Committee recommended the Government should increase VisitBritain ’ s marketing budget to match more closely those of its nearest competitors . VisitBritain would then need to ensure that much of this increase in funding should be ringfenced to promoting regional destinations .
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Life beyond London
London will always be key to the UK ’ s leisure and business tourism offer ; it is a global brand which attracts millions of visitors each year . But every part of Britain has something to offer and a story to tell . The Committee report noted : “ Our evidence tells us that many visitors are unaware of what else there is to see or believe other destinations are too far or too difficult to travel to . Addressing these issues will help drive people beyond the capital .”
The Committee report placed emphasis on the value of business events , which were worth £ 19bn to the UK in direct spend annually before the pandemic . It called for the Government to expand the Business Events Growth Programme : “ Attracting international business events also has clear potential not only to drive tourism across the country but throughout the year , as evidenced by the forecast impact of the events
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secured with the support of the Business Events Growth Programme .
“ VisitBritain should continue its work with tourism providers to identify how best to showcase all regions of the UK , with a particular focus on addressing the travel barriers , both perceived and actual . The Government should expand VisitBritain ’ s Business Events Growth Programme and indicate in its response to our report the level of additional funding and the date by which it will be awarded .”
Tourism minister should be secretary of state role
The Committee report noted that many of the levers which control tourism sit outside of DCMS ’ s control , therefore the industry ’ s ability to reach its full potential depends on the working group ensuring that policy from other departments does not undermine the work that DCMS is trying to achieve . This will require a full-time tourism minister who can work across several departments .
The report said : “ The Government should make the tourism minister a full-time position . We are open-minded as to which department the minister should be placed in , but it is crucial that their views carry significant weight across all relevant departments , particularly the Home Office , HM Treasury , and the Department for Transport .”
It is well documented that agencies , exhibition organisers , professional conference organisers , venues and many diverse suppliers do not feel represented under the current structure . But , should England ’ s DMOs benefit from the 12 recommendations made in the de Bois Review , the case for wider industry recognition only becomes stronger . There remains a long way to go . CN
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