The UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has released its eagerly anticipated plan for the recovery of the country's tourism.
Goals of the Recovery Plan include:
- Recovering domestic overnight trip volume and spend to 2019 levels by the end of 2022
- Recovering international visitor numbers and spend by the end of 2023
- Induce longer visitor stays, increased lodging occupancy in the off-season, and high levels of investment in tourism products and infrastructure
- Maximize the potential for technology and data to improve the visitor experience
- Employ more UK nationals in year-round quality jobs
- Ensure that tourism contributes to the enhancement and conservation of then UK's cultural, natural and historic heritage
- Minimize damage to the environment
- Make tourism inclusive and accessible to all
- Return the UK to its pre-pandemic position as a leading destination for business events
Actions to be taken include:
- Investment of at least 19M GBP in marketing
- VAT cut for tourism and hospitality
- Business rates relief
- Domestic tourism rail project
- National Lottery voucher scheme
- Maximize impact of 2022 events including the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Festival UK 2022 and the Commonwealth Games
- 4.8B GBP Leveling Up Fund
The plan will be periodically revisited by the Inter-Ministerial Group for Tourism.
