Promoting Britain abroad
Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Closed
Inquiry
Tourism is an economic, cultural and social asset. Although it is a devolved matter—England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London all have independent tourism bodies—all five organisations work closely with VisitBritain, the national tourism agency. VisitBritain is responsible for marketing Britain worldwide and developing Britain’s visitor economy. In 2019, inbound …
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14
Recommendations
12
Conclusions
1
Report
5
Oral sessions
5
Events
Activity timeline 12 events
2 Feb
2023
2023
24 Oct
2022
2022
Report published
5 Jul
2022
2022
Oral evidence
5 Jul
2022
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
21 Jun
2022
2022
Oral evidence
21 Jun
2022
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
29 Mar
2022
2022
Oral evidence
29 Mar
2022
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
8 Mar
2022
2022
Oral evidence
8 Mar
2022
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
22 Feb
2022
2022
Oral evidence
22 Feb
2022
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Knebworth House, Hertfordshire
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
5 Jul 2022
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Ben Dean · Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Chris Philp MP · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Nigel Huddleston MP · HM Treasury
21 Jun 2022
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Nick de Bois CBE · VisitEngland Advisory Board
Patricia Yates · VisitBritain/VisitEngland
29 Mar 2022
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Allen Simpson · London and Partners
Geoff Taylor · BPI
Gills Haigh · Cumbria Tourism
Jamie Njoku-Goodwin · UK Music
Jessica Koravos · Really Useful Group
Kash Bennett · National Theatre
Nick Brooks-Sykes · Marketing Manchester
8 Mar 2022
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Joss Croft · UKinbound
Kate Nicholls OBE · UKHospitality
Kurt Janson · Tourism Alliance
Paul Barnes · Association of International Retail
Ross Baker · Heathrow
22 Feb 2022
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Bernard Donoghue · Association of Leading Visitor Attractions
Caroline Cooper Charles · Screen Yorkshire
Martha Lytton-Cobbold · Historic Houses
Ralph Lee · BBC Studios Productions
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad | HC 156 | 24 Oct 2022 | 26 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
10 results
1
Conclusion
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
Britain’s world-leading cultural sector enjoys global attention and contributes enormously to the country’s appeal, but...
Britain’s world-leading cultural sector enjoys global attention and contributes enormously to the country’s appeal, but the competition is getting stronger. The voice of the cultural sector must be included at a strategic level if it is to fulfil its potential …
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Government Response
The Government does not see a case for a separate creative industries export office due to a wide range of existing support and will set out its ambition for the creative sector to 2030 in the upcoming Creative Industries Sector Vision. They will continue to support creative businesses and professionals exporting to Europe - and the world - with a range of export support programmes.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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3
Conclusion
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
London will always be key to our tourism offer; it is a global brand which...
London will always be key to our 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. Our evidence tells us that …
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Government Response
VisitBritain will continue to prioritize regional dispersion through the relaunch of their GREAT international marketing campaign, See Things Differently, targeted at key GREAT markets in the EU, US and the Gulf. They will increase domestic visitor numbers through their ‘Escape the Everyday’ campaign and partner with the Family Holiday Charity to provide holidays for families facing difficult challenges.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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5
Conclusion
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
The Government’s decision to withdraw from the VAT Retail Export Scheme has made Britain less...
The Government’s decision to withdraw from the VAT Retail Export Scheme has made Britain less appealing to tourists while increasing the appeal of our European competitors. It has been a spectacular own goal, signalling that the Government does not, despite …
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Government Response
The government defends its decision to withdraw from the VAT Retail Export Scheme, referencing the OBR assessment, but states it keeps all taxes under review and will endeavour to consider the impact of future decisions affecting the inbound tourism sector.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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7
Recommendation
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
The Government should publish an assessment of the direct and indirect impact that withdrawing from...
The Government should publish an assessment of the direct and indirect impact that withdrawing from the VAT Retail Export Scheme will have had on the inbound tourism sector.
Government Response
The government refers to the independent Office for Budget Responsibility's assessment of the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme published in November 2020.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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14
Conclusion
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
Though staffing shortages have been exacerbated by the pandemic, the problems are long-term.
Though staffing shortages have been exacerbated by the pandemic, the problems are long-term. The level of vacancies in the tourism and hospitality sectors are directly impacting the quality of our offer, yet both sectors can take a teenager in a …
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Government Response
The government recognizes labour and skills shortages and states that a number of measures are already in place to mitigate this risk, such as the Hospitality Sector Council and the Hospitality and Tourism Skills Board.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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20
Conclusion
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
We recognise that the pandemic will have had a significant impact on VisitBritain’s engagement with...
We recognise that the pandemic will have had a significant impact on VisitBritain’s engagement with wider industry, while the level of its funding limits its ability to support Destination Management Companies to the extent that both sides would wish. We …
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Government Response
VisitBritain will continue to prioritize regional dispersion through the relaunch of their GREAT international marketing campaign, See Things Differently, targeted at key GREAT markets in the EU, US and the Gulf. They will increase domestic visitor numbers through their ‘Escape the Everyday’ campaign and partner with the Family Holiday Charity to provide holidays for families facing difficult challenges.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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23
Conclusion
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
VisitBritain is an arms’ length body yet in practice appears to be grasped close to...
VisitBritain is an arms’ length body yet in practice appears to be grasped close to the chest. VisitBritain knows better than officials at No 10 and the Cabinet Office how best to attract visitors to Britain in an increasingly competitive …
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Government Response
The Government Communication Service (GCS) in the Cabinet Office has reduced the approval requirements for government marketing materials, with only new master creative for major government campaigns submitted to GCS for approval and feedback provided promptly.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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24
Recommendation
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
The Government should use a lighter touch with VisitBritain regarding operational decisions and campaign messaging.
The Government should use a lighter touch with VisitBritain regarding operational decisions and campaign messaging. Any feedback should be considered as advisory only and given to VisitBritain within one month.
Government Response
The Government Communication Service (GCS) in the Cabinet Office has already reduced the approval requirements for government marketing materials.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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25
Conclusion
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
The Minister and DCMS officials should feel proud of their hard work supporting the tourism...
The Minister and DCMS officials should feel proud of their hard work supporting the tourism sector through the pandemic and we welcome the establishment of an inter-ministerial working group. However, it can only be effective if all departments recognise the …
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Government Response
The government states that there is a full-time minister responsible for tourism and highlights the role of the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) on the Visitor Economy in facilitating discussions across government and that the IMG is supported by the Tourism Industry Council.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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26
Recommendation
Accepted
Second Report - Promoting Britain …
The Government should make the Tourism Minister a full-time position.
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 should carry significant weight across all relevant departments, particularly …
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Government Response
The government states it already has a full-time Minister responsible for tourism within a broader portfolio and highlights the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) on the Visitor Economy as an established governance mechanism.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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