Tourism Minister criticised for voicing concern about UK hotels quality

The Tourism Minister Margaret Hodge has come under strong criticism from the press and the tourism industry after comments she made earlier this month.

In an interview for Which? Holidays, the Minister stated “that hotels are expensive and I worry about the quality - only half of UK accommodation is kite-marked and has the quality motif” (VisitBritain's and the AA's quality schemes); adding that "Tourists need to be offered good deals and we have to make attractions better."

She also talked about her department’s efforts to improve the facilities at the Stonehenge World Heritage site and voiced many Londoners’ experience by calling rush hour in the Tube “dreadful”.

Miles Quest, a spokesman for the British Hospitality Association, which represents 9,000 hotels, countered the Minister’s argument by saying that “the industry is making a huge investment in facilities and rooms, and that has been going on for at least the last five years, and is scheduled to go on to 2012 and beyond."

He also blamed the effect of VAT which is higher in this country than it is in others (17.5% in the UK, compared with 5.5% in France, 6.8% in Greece and 5% in Portugal).

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of South West Tourism, agreed. He said: "I find her comments insensitive and bordering on insulting, considering that we have one of the highest-taxed tourism industries in the world."

He encouraged the Minister to pay attention to the report of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's select committee on tourism, which was published on July 10 and criticised the Government's unfocused approach to the industry and urged it to make tourism a "mainstream issue".

Ms Hodge’s greatest offence however was perhaps to admit that she prefers taking her holidays in Italy.