The RSC is contributing evidence to a new inquiry from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which will examine the future of the UK’s tourism industry.
The inquiry will cover both domestic and international tourism, and will explore how the UK promotes itself overseas, the role of culture and heritage in attracting visitors and how the UK competes with other destinations.
It will consider whether the Government's current policies are supporting the growth, international competitiveness and long-term resilience of the sector, as well as the impact of policy changes, including the proposal to give mayors powers to charge an overnight levy, alongside wider challenges such as energy price inflation and rising employment costs.
MPs will also investigate the sector’s recovery from the pandemic and the effectiveness of the DCMS’s work with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and devolved administrations.
Our response to the inquiry and call for evidence is summarised below:
Culture and heritage are vibrant and valuable elements of the UK's domestic and international tourism landscape - 39% of tourists choose destinations based on their cultural offer. Yet too often policy and tourism strategy focuses on destination tourism, such as London. In fact, the capital accounts for 77% of international spend, with 15.5m average annual overnight trips.
This means there is huge, untapped potential for regional growth, jobs and opportunities, if the Government and organisations like VisitBritain were to take a coordinated and strategic approach to culture tourism, particularly across the UK.
KEY POINTS
1. Culture is a tool that can and should be used to drive tourism. This should also support broader ambitions of inclusive, regional growth.
2. The government should view Tourism as a mechanism for boosting soft power, and therefore any strategies looking to achieve this should consider tourism and culture, within them.
- Tourism supports many key government agendas including growth and opportunity missions, it can support regional renewal and bring valuable social, educational and community benefits.
- Tourism and culture play a vital role in global soft power, particularly in an increasingly shifting and unstable international context.
3. Currently, cultural assets are under-exploited to maximise tourism potential.
- To fully exploit cultural assets, a joined-up approach is needed for enabling infrastructures including transport, nighttime and visitor economies, particularly for destinations outside of London.
- This involves working collaboratively with bodies such as VisitBritain, VisitEngland, Destination Management Organisations and Local Visitor Economy Partnerships, and local and regional governments.
- The UK would be more internationally competitive if tourism was less concentrated on London for visitors.
4. Specific policy interventions that can boost tourism include:
- Transport infrastructure from tourism ‘landing hubs’ such as London and its airports, that are connected to culture and heritage assets across the country.
- Investment in tourism destinations outside of London to enhance transport infrastructure and public realm in those areas. For example, Stratford-upon-Avon in the heart of Warwickshire and the Midlands is an excellent example of a destination for tourists with major cultural attractions, but it is hampered by limited transport infrastructure and the need for greater investment in public realm.
- Visitor levy, as long as a proportion of this is ringfenced to support the development of cultural assets and is used to increase investment in culture through enabling greater infrastructure, with Metro Mayors given the power to distribute and manage.
- The Society of London and UK Theatre (SOLT) and The Association of Large Visitor Attractions (ALVA) have called for reintroducing tax-free shopping for overseas visitors to promote greater international competitiveness for visitors considering destinations, which we support.
