Tourism and Hospitality
Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Lee of Trafford(9 years, 3 months ago)
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Lord Lee of Trafford (LD)
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and, in doing so, I declare an interest as the chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con)
My Lords, the tourism and hospitality industries are major employers in the United Kingdom. In 2013, Deloitte estimated that tourism and hospitality supported 3.1 million jobs, accounting for 9.6% of all jobs. Both the Government and the industry are committed to nurturing growth in tourism through the creation of high-quality jobs, while giving young people every opportunity to forge rewarding and lasting careers in the sectors.
Lord Lee of Trafford
I am grateful to my noble friend. According to the British Hospitality Association, at present there are 158,000 job vacancies in the hospitality sector, at all levels of skills. Given that figure, first, what are the Government doing to encourage the take-up by SMEs of apprenticeships and, secondly, is there not an opportunity here for a major partnership programme between government and industry—between the prisons and the hospitality sector—to provide a training bridge for prisoners, to give them hope and a career opportunity post coming out of prison? That would do something to turn and improve our appalling recidivism rates, in parallel to the Evening Standard’s excellent programme to encourage business start-ups in prisons.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, SMEs account for 80% of the tourism industry, so it is extremely important that we help SMEs to flourish through things like the deregulation task force. They are a very important part of the sector. The British Hospitality Association is looking to create further employment by the end of this year, with pledges of 60,000 jobs. The work that the Prison Service and, I think, the Clink Charity are undertaking with restaurants at certain prisons that I have heard of has been immensely successful. This is an example of where, in partnership, we can make some real progress.
Devolution: Arts and Culture
Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Lee of Trafford
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, the funding for the lottery is on a capita basis but deprivation is part of its consideration.
Lord Lee of Trafford (LD)
Does my noble friend accept that an individual new development in the regions, such as the Lowry in Salford, can have a much wider regenerative effect when it is coupled with, say, the Imperial War Museum of the North and the BBC? The wider regenerative effect of a cluster can be much greater in the regions than in, say, our capital city.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, again, there are very good examples of where regeneration and the arts run hand in hand. In Northern Ireland, for instance, the creative industries are worth half a billion pounds a year, and there are areas around Belfast cathedral where creative industries are centred, which is very much part of the regeneration of that great city.
UK Economy: Tourism
Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Lee of Trafford(9 years, 5 months ago)
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Lord Lee of Trafford (LD)
I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, and in doing so declare an interest as chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con)
My Lords, tourism is a major part of the UK economy. Deloitte estimates that it will contribute £61.1 billion directly to the economy this year, supporting nearly 1.8 million jobs. This rises to £133.6 billion and 3.15 million jobs when indirect impacts on the wider economy are included. Tourism is central to our plans for growth and we are working with the sector to achieve this.
Lord Lee of Trafford
My Lords, national tourism policy is to boost tourism in and to the regions. However, the way that air passenger duty is imposed runs counter to this. It is a flat tax, the only differential being between different classes of travel. Thus, if flying a national carrier, business class, London to Moscow return, air passenger duty represents only 2% of the total cost of the fare plus APD, whereas flying a budget carrier, London to Glasgow return, finds APD equating to 87% of the total cost. Is not this a nonsense, and will my noble friend urge his Treasury colleagues to look at the way in which APD is levied if we really want to encourage and boost regional tourism?
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, obviously the first thing I must say is that matters of taxation are for the Chancellor; the Treasury continually reviews all taxation matters. I understand my noble friend’s point about percentages, but the band A rate is £13 and is going to remain that for four years. I do not think it is a considerable sum but it does, in total, contribute nearly £3 billion to the Treasury.
Tourism
Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Lee of Trafford
Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con)
My Lords, the importance of tourism to the UK economy is clear. It contributed £58 billion directly to the economy last year and supported more than 1.75 million jobs. Those figures rise to £127 billion and 3.1 million jobs when the indirect impacts of tourism on the wider economy are included. That is why this Government have invested more than £165 million, including private sector matched funding, in the GREAT and other marketing campaigns.
Lord Lee of Trafford
Given that tourism is our fifth largest industry, that a third of the new jobs created in the past three years have been in tourism and that tourism is so important to many cities, towns and regions in this country, does my noble friend realise why those of us involved in the Campaign for Tourism are determined that tourism features in the manifestos of the major parties in the coming general election, unlike last time, when they did not feature at all? Is it not time that, given its importance, tourism was included in the title of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport?
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, I emphasise that the Government recognise that tourism is a vital part of the future of the UK economy. Indeed, the Prime Minister met officials from the Campaign for Tourism only last month. The point that my noble friend makes about manifestos is obviously very potent. I know of at least four government departments that have an interest in tourism: the Treasury, the DCLG, BIS and of course the DCMS. There is a Minister with responsibility for tourism but this is a matter that has cross-departmental importance.
Employment: Tourism and Hospitality
Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Lee of Trafford
Lord Lee of Trafford (LD)
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I declare an interest as chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con)
My Lords, the Deloitte report Tourism: Jobs and Growth, commissioned by VisitBritain and published on 21 November, states that the tourism economy directly supported more than 1.75 million jobs throughout the United Kingdom in 2013. When the indirect impacts of the tourism industry on the wider economy are taken into account, the number of jobs supported across the UK rises to 3.1 million—in effect 9.6% of total UK jobs.
Lord Lee of Trafford
My Lords, do not those significant figures and the fact that one-third of the new jobs created in the past two years have come from tourism emphasise why politicians should take tourism much more seriously? Is the noble Lord aware that the leaders of the campaign for tourism have had a meeting with the No. 10 policy unit and there has been a reply to a letter from the Deputy Prime Minister but, unfortunately, as yet, there has not been a reply from the leader of the Opposition’s office? Perhaps noble Lords opposite will use their good offices to elicit a response. Has he also seen in the Deloitte report, to which he referred, the projection that the likely 6% annual increase in international visitor spend in this country should by 2025 produce a situation where we have a surplus on our balance of payments tourism account for the first time for 40 years?
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, my noble friend is absolutely right in saying that tourism must be taken seriously, whether it is business tourism, sports tourism or cultural tourism. Tourism is worth £127 billion to the UK economy. I am aware of the Deloitte report and my noble friend’s reference. I am nervous of offering advice to the office of the leader of the Opposition, but I suspect that a letter should be swiftly drafted.
Tourism
Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Lee of Trafford
Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con)
My Lords, tourism makes a major contribution to the economy in all parts of the United Kingdom. In 2011, tourism directly contributed £53 billion to the economy and employed 2.7 million people in full or part-time jobs. The Government place great importance on this industry as part of their strategy for growth. That is why we are investing more than £130 million, matched between the public and private sectors, in the GREAT and other marketing campaigns.
Lord Lee of Trafford
My Lords, the reality is that successive Governments have treated tourism as a Cinderella industry. If you look at the rates of air passenger duty and VAT, we are internationally uncompetitive. On visa requirements, France gets six times the number of Chinese visitors that we do. Tourism was not mentioned in the manifestos of any of the parties at the previous election. As a result of the reshuffle, we are now on our ninth tourism Minister in 10 years. Is my noble friend aware that 33 tourism bodies have today come together to form the campaign for tourism to argue that tourism should be much higher up the political agenda, and that they have written to the party leaders and are determined that tourism will be supported to enable it to fulfil its true potential?
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, I am, indeed, aware of the campaign and its letters to the party leaders and other interested groups. I have read its letter, which a wide range of organisations has signed. I am sure I shall have nothing to do with the writing of any of the party manifestos, but I encourage the writers and all of us to think very strongly about that important sector, tourism.
Museums
Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Lee of Trafford
Lord Lee of Trafford
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and in doing so declare interests as the chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, of which the Science Museum Group is a member, and as a former chairman of MOSI, the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, our country has a diverse network of high-quality museums and galleries, both national and regional, which educate and delight local people and tourists alike. DCMS has overall responsibility for those in England. These museums have a strong identity within their local communities. They are often at the heart of their regions’ creative industries, provide an educational resource and contribute to their regions’ international reputation and economy.
Lord Lee of Trafford
My Lords, given that the Government are committed to promoting tourism in the regions, but also to encouraging youngsters to follow careers in science and engineering, is it not incomprehensible that the Science Museum Group is faced with a possible further 10% funding cut, on top of the 25% cut, thus publicly having to state that it might have to close one of its three regional museums? The Manchester Museum of Science & Industry, or MOSI, attracts 700,000 visitors a year of all ages. They come to see the museum of the first industrial city, the first baby computer and the first passenger railway station in Manchester. Would it not be bordering on the criminal if there was any question of contraction or closure?
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, I must first acknowledge my noble friend’s long-term commitment to the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester and as a distinguished former chairman of it. Visits to the museum have continued to increase and have increased by 31% since its merger with the Science Museum Group in January last year. I have of course read the reports in the press speculating on the future of regional branches of the Science Museum Group. The spending review process for 2015-16 has not reached its completion. It would therefore be premature, indeed impossible, for a considered decision by the Science Museum Group to be made until after that process is complete.
Tourism
Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Lee of Trafford(11 years, 3 months ago)
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Lord Lee of Trafford
I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and, in doing so, declare an interest as the chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, tourism is the fifth biggest industry and worth £115 billion per year. In many parts of Britain, it is the leading economic sector. It has great potential to grow: VisitBritain reports that the volume of international tourism will grow by 3% this year, with a spend of £9 billion. Domestic tourism accounts for 80% of the market, and VisitEngland predicts a £500 million additional spend over four years. The Government are working with tourism organisations to secure these objectives.
Lord Lee of Trafford
I know that my noble friend is very conscious of tourism’s importance, but are the Government? On 31 December, the Prime Minister sent a three-page letter to all parliamentarians on the Olympics legacy. Unbelievably, there was not one word on tourism. Is my noble friend aware that tourism created one-third of all new UK employment in the two years to the end of 2011 and now accounts for 9% of all employment? Two months ago, the Intercontinental London Westminster opened, just by St James’s Park tube station. Of its 170 permanent staff, only 68—or 40%—were from the United Kingdom. There were 13 each from Italy and Spain, 11 from Lithuania, 10 from France, eight from Poland and 47 who were from 30 other countries. It is a veritable United Nations. Just what are the Government doing to encourage our young people to embrace career opportunities in tourism and hospitality?
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, first, I am very conscious that I am replying to a former Minister for Tourism. I assure your Lordships that the Government are taking tourism and its potential extremely seriously. The Prime Minister is leading from the front on this issue; indeed, the Secretary of State and the Minister for Sports and Tourism are fully engaged in promoting it. The Government are investing £137 million over four years via the GREAT campaign, which is delivered through VisitBritain and in partnership with the private sector. Through that investment, we hope that almost 60,000 new job opportunities will be created. Those will of course include job opportunities for the young, while the success story of apprenticeships is very strong.