Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for Visit England to encourage tourism in England; and what steps they intend to take to support the visitor economy after the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic have ended.

The Government is taking a number of steps to encourage tourism once restrictions are eased. We are working with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and local partners to champion the UK’s diverse tourism offer through the Enjoy Summer Safely campaign.

We will continue to work with industry to provide assurance regarding when people can safely visit attractions - as demonstrated through the We’re Good to Go industry standard, which has been used by over 45,000 businesses. In addition, the £56 million Welcome Back Fund will help councils boost tourism, improve green spaces and provide more outdoor seating areas.

The Government is taking a number of steps to support the visitor economy’s recovery. The Global Travel Taskforce last year committed the Government to publish a Tourism Recovery Plan in support of the sector. The Government intends to set out proposals in the spring, including plans for a marketing campaign to welcome visitors back to the UK as soon as it is safe to do so.

Budget 2021 included £700m of extra funding to support our world-leading arts, culture and sporting institutions - protecting the venues which make London and the UK an attractive destination to visit.

In total, over £25bn has been provided to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks.