The British tourism industry has responded positively to the Government?s challenge, set last summer, to create a marketing fund of more than ?100million to boost tourism around the forthcoming royal wedding, the Queen?s Diamond Jubilee and The London Olympic and Paralympic Games.?
p>The British tourism industry has responded positively to the Government?s challenge, set last summer, to create a marketing fund of more than ?100million to boost tourism around the forthcoming royal wedding, the Queen?s Diamond Jubilee and The London Olympic and Paralympic Games.? The four-year marketing campaign, full details of which will be unveiled in the spring, aims to deliver one?million extra overseas visitors a year;??2billion more visitor spending the UK; and?50,000 new jobs across the country.
Companies including BA, DFDS, ?lastminute.com, P&O and Radisson Edwardian have pledged cash and payment in kind to help match the ?50million of public money already committed by national tourism agency, VisitBritain.?
At a reception in Downing Street to thank those already involved, Prime Minister?David Cameron?said:??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 ?2billion more visitor spending to the UK."
ABTA?s head of public affairs, Luke Pollard, said:??This is good news, while the fund has been put together to maximise the benefits of the Olympics, royal wedding and Diamond Jubilee, it should also provide a legacy for UK tourism industry beyond these events so that jobs created will be sustained in years to come. London will rightly be a focus but we need to ensure that visitors will see other parts of the UK as well.
?Tourism is an important industry in the UK, and if we want to lock in the benefits from these important events, and raise tourism levels on a permanent basis then it is essential that the tourism sector can rely on core funding and ongoing investment.??
