Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to support the hospitality and tourism sectors.

The Government is committed to supporting the hospitality and tourism sectors, which provide a significant contribution to the UK economy and society. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, over £37 billion has been provided to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks.

At Autumn Statement 2023, the government announced it will extend the business rates Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief scheme at 75 per cent, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2024-25. Around 230,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties will be eligible for this relief, a tax cut worth nearly £2.4 billion.

Over this Spending Review period – the Government has allocated over £100m to the British Tourist Authority to support VisitBritain and VisitEngland with marketing activity to promote Britain as a destination.