SMALL business lobby group the Forum of Private Business (FPB) is launching a campaign to promote the UK’s tourist industry.
The FPB believes British holidaymakers can give small and medium enterprises a major boost by spending their summer breaks in this country.
At the end of last year, the Liverpool city region’s tourism and investment body – The Mersey Partnership – launched a £750,000 advertising blitz to promote Merseyside as a short-break destination.
The city and the surrounding boroughs are eager to maintain the momentum created during Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year in 2008.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), more than £35bn is spent each year by tourists fleeing the UK – money that would provide a real economic stimulus by supporting many small businesses struggling to survive the recession.
Research by VisitBritain, which is the UK’s national tourist authority, suggests that, despite money being tight, most people in the UK (55%) are refusing to cut back on holidays.
Instead, they are planning to reduce spending on more frequent, lower-value purchases, such as food (80%), fuel (74%), clothes (67%), and entertainment and other luxuries (67%).
“Despite the recession, holidays are still seen as essential and are not being sacrificed easily,” said the FPB’s chief executive, Phil Orford. There is a potential market of holidaymakers increasingly viewing the UK as an attractive destination, including many who already live here.
“The value, diversity and level of service provided by small businesses in the tourism sector should be shouted from the rooftops. Promoting UK tourism is vital for economic recovery.”
Although there has been a recent surge in the value of the pound against the euro and dollar, since the end of July 2007 the pound has fallen by 27.7% against the euro, meaning that UK households travelling abroad will need to spend an additional £8.15bn this year.
However, the FPB says real value for money can be found in the UK by taking advantage of cheaper travel, and the range of offers and deals that are currently available.
According to VisitBritain about 20% of people who took a foreign holiday last year plan to save money by choosing the UK instead and 51% are put off travelling abroad by concerns over rising flight costs and 36% are concerned about the unpredictability of tour operators.
