Louise Stewart Partnerships and Performance Director March 2012 Contribution of the visitor to economic growth

VisitEngland To lead and drive forward the quality, competiveness and sustainable growth of England’s Visitor Economy VisitBritain Delivers a series of marketing campaigns to attract inbound travellers to the UK… SEMLEP March 2012

The role of VisitEngland Champion the sector and drive forward the industry’s shared Strategic Framework for Tourism Promote England's tourism offer Provide official intelligence on tourism and visitor economy in England Support local areas grow their economies through tourism Advise Government on English Tourism issues

The Economic Value of Tourism ●The tourism industry in England is worth £97bn ●Made up of 249,000 businesses ●Providing over 2 million jobs ●44% of employees in the sector are under 30 ●Tourism benefits every part of the country ●Projected to be worth £158bn by 2020 SEMLEP March 2012

Current context ●Loss of regional support structures and public funding ●The focus on local decision making ●Industry Framework ●Cross-Government Tourism Policy

Strategic Framework for Tourism Increase market share in order to secure a year- on-year growth rate of 5% Create 225,000 jobs by 2020 Create additional £50bn of tourism expenditure SEMLEP March 2012

Creating the environment for growth Government Tourism Policy Private sector leadership – less dependency on the public sector Strong emphasis on public private partnership – Destination Management Organisations Reducing red tape – quality gradings, Regulation Task Force Transport infrastructure improvements Visa regimes for international visitors Domestic tourism growth targets Making the most of the events of 2012 SEMLEP March 2012

How has tourism been affected by the economic situation? International tourism - Negative impact on visitor numbers but spend has held up and even improved, supported by the weaker pound SEMLEP March 2012

Domestic Tourism - Holiday trip volumes are below 2009 peak, but remain well above pre-recession levels Trips (m) YTD Jan-Oct +5% Holiday VFR Business +5% +17% Source: GB Tourism Survey

Challenges Dominated by small businesses Tourism crosses many business sectors  (Hospitality, accommodation, transport, land management, heritage, museums, retail) Tourism has lacked visibility at all levels of Government and has not had a strong voice The sector has not engaged in traditional core business networks Can be disconnected from the wider economic debate e.g. the need for improved broadband, transport improvements, skills & training SEMLEP March 2012

A positive context for English Tourism Private sector leadership and decision making at the local level Continued support of Local Authorities despite extreme funding pressures London 2012, the cultural Olympiad and the Diamond Jubilee will showcase our country to a global audience Renewed political interest in supporting tourism’s growth Tremendous product improvement in the last decade Market conditions - the ‘staycation’ - renewed public interest in taking holidays at home SEMLEP March 2012

Estimated to generate 28% of total overseas visitor spend Over 22,000 businesses, sustaining 800,000 jobs England was in the top five countries for international association meetings from 1875 to 1999 –Its position has now dropped to outside the top ten countries worldwide. The volume and value of business tourism in England peaked in 2006 –since then it has reduced by more than 25% for inbound overseas business trips and 6% for UK business trips Its not all about holidays - Business Tourism

How can the visitor economy contribute to Local priorities? Encouraging new businesses and innovation Business growth and creating employment Supporting Inward Investment, image and quality of life Developing an excellent business tourism offer to support your other sectors SEMLEP March 2012

Considerations The Visitor Economy is a SEMLEP showcase sector but; –Don’t put it in a silo it is about business –The visitor economy isn’t a true sector, it cuts across and is made up of other standard sectors –Planning, infrastructure, inward investment, skills agenda Partnership across organisations and boundaries –consumers and visitor economy businesses relate to different geographies than administrative or defined ‘economic areas’ SEMLEP March 2012