Member News
Backing from major businesses has put a tourism fund on track for a £100m drive to make Britain the "must-see destination" of the next few years, the prime minister has said.
David Cameron urged the tourism industry to capitalise on this spring's royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 to attract a million extra overseas visitors a year to the UK.
In particular he wants to attract more tourists from Asia and Latin America, as well as more traditional markets like Europe and the United States.
A four-year marketing campaign, to be launched in the spring, aims to create 500,000 new jobs and £2bn in additional tourism spending. The sector accounts for 1.5million jobs.
Cameron told a gathering of business representatives: "This year and next will see the eyes of the world focused on Britain as never before.
"A royal wedding, Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee and of course the London Olympic and Paralympic Games offer us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not just for national pride and celebration, but also to promote this country as the perfect tourist destination, helping to create 50,000 new jobs and bring £2bn more visitor spending to the UK."
In a speech last August, the prime minister made a major speech in London and challenged businesses to back the planned tourism drive.
He said the response has been "magnificent, with pledges of cash and kind from companies that mean we are well on the way to our target".
Companies including British Airways, lastminute.com, ferry operators DFDS and P&O, and hotelier Radisson Edwardian have pledged cash and payment in kind for a national tourism fund to help match £50m of public money from national tourism agency, VisitBritain.
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said the launch of the new campaign would market the UK as "quite literally the greatest show on earth".
"This is Britain's moment. A wonderful and unprecedented opportunity to tell the world that we are well and truly back in business, and that there is no better place to take a holiday, not just in order to be part of the big-ticket events of the next two years, but to enjoy everything else we have to offer."
Article Comments
Why does this sound like the campaign for the world cup?Tthe greatest show on earth? Come on call me Dave, its the UK, not disney land.
lol
col
6th Jan 2011 at 1:43 am
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.