Tourism Advisory Council holds first meeting
Last Updated: 26 May 2009A new council involving government and high level executives from a range of travel businesses and tourism organisations held its first meeting on 30 April.
Chaired by Tourism Minister, Barbara Follett, the Tourism Advisory Council (TAC) forms part of the government's commitment to support the UK tourism industry following January's tourism summit. (See Prime Minister expresses support for industry at national tourism summit, Accommodation Know-How news, 23 January 2009).
It was also part of the ten-point strategy in VisitBritain's British Tourism Framework Review, which recommended creating ‘a cross-Whitehall and cross-ministerial group to be advised by a newly created, government-sponsored Tourism Advisory Council drawing together senior practitioners from industry and the public sector to engage with the government departments whose policies impact on tourism’.
Barbara Follett said: ‘By working together the British tourism industry can emerge from this economic downturn stronger than ever. The advisory council has a vital role to play because it will provide government with the timely, sector-specific intelligence that will allow us to direct help and advice to the areas that most need it.
‘With over 1.4 million jobs in the British tourist industry, we must do all we can to support it through the good times and the bad.’
The TAC plans to meet three times a year. The 20 tourism industry members of the Council are:- Travelodge
- Tourism Alliance
- Hand-Picked Hotels Ltd
- Eastnor Castle Estates Company
- Arora International Hotels
- Barcelo Hotels UK
- Number One Hotels Ltd
- Southwest Regional Development Agency
- VisitBritain
- VisitEngland
- Eurostar
- Bourne Leisure
- Virgin Atlantic
- Park Resorts
- VisitScotland
- Hoseasons
- Welsh Assembly Government
- VisitLondon
- Center Parcs
- British Airways.
The work of the TAC will also feed in to the newly reformed inter-Ministerial group on tourism, which will see ministers from across eight government departments meet to discuss ways to support the tourism industry.
The government’s full response to VisitBritain’s Tourism Review is available to download from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s website here (pdf file).