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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent survey by the Tourism Alliance which found 41 per cent of tourism businesses think they are “quite likely to fail”; and what steps they are taking in response to protect the travel industry.

The Tourism Alliance is a member of the Tourism Industry Council, a collaboration between the Government and the tourism industry focusing on improving the tourism sector and the visitor economy as a whole.

The Government is committed to the full recovery of tourism businesses in the UK, and published the Tourism Recovery Plan in June 2021 to outline a clear roadmap for the industry’s recovery.

In addition to the commitments made in this plan, HM Treasury announced in the October Budget a new temporary business-rates relief in England for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure properties for 2022–23, worth almost £1.7 billion. We have also continued a reduced VAT rate, which will remain at 12.5% until 31 March 2022, to help businesses manage the transition back to the standard rate.

In response to the Omicron variant, in December 2021 the Government announced a further £1 billion worth of support for businesses in the tourism industry. This included a new grant scheme (up to £6,000 per premises), the reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, and further funding released through the Culture Recovery Fund. There is also more than £100 million of discretionary funding available for local authorities to support other businesses.