Member Article

NewcastleGateshead Initiative welcomes Government’s five point plan to boost tourism

NewcastleGateshead Initiative, which markets NewcastleGateshead as a visitor destination on a national and international stage, has welcomed today’s announcement by the Prime Minister of a new five-point plan for the UK tourism industry -

The plan, which was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron today, includes the formation of a new Inter-Ministerial group to ensure that all Government departments take account of tourism when developing policies and legislation.

The government has allocated £10m fund to support Northern destinations to attract international visitors from around the world and ensure the North is on the map as a top tourist destination.

The group, headed by the Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, and including ministers from across government, including the Department for Communities and Local Government, BIS, DEFRA, Home Office, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, will focus on five key areas:

• A better co-ordinated sector
• Skills and jobs
• Common sense regulation
• Transport
• An improved welcome

Sarah Stewart, NewcastleGateshead Initiative Chief Executive and VisitEngland Board member, said: “We’re delighted that the Prime Minister has outlined plans to boost tourism across the UK and to put tourism firmly at the heart of Government.

“Tourism is a growth industry in the North East of England, now worth £3.6bn annually and supporting over 54,000 jobs, and it’s time that the value and contribution of the sector is recognised, valued and supported to grow further. Its economic potential is huge and, significantly, tourism also helps to shape and change perceptions - which has far reaching benefits for business and investment too.

“On the back of today’s announcement, we look forward to finding out how the North East in particular can maximise and build on this commitment to support the industry. The Government’s £10m Northern Tourism Growth Fund programme, which we’re currently helping to deliver with colleagues across the North of England to attract international visitors here this year, was another welcome boost for the sector and we will continue to actively engage with this, and other opportunities to put NewcastleGateshead and the region firmly on the map.”

Tourism has grown quickly since the government’s previous tourism strategy in 2011. The direct contribution of the tourism sector to the economy in 2014 was almost £60bn – up a fifth since 2010.

Last year, international visitors spent a record £21.8bn in local economies across the country, with nearly every region seeing a rise in visitor numbers or spend.

In 2013, it was estimated that 9% of jobs in the UK were in tourism-related industries and jobs in the sector were growing at almost double the rate of other industries.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .