Culture Secretary Maria Miller today launched a tourism partnership strategy for Britain which calls for the travel industry and the government, together with key public and private sector bodies, to unite behind a long-term ambition for growth that would see Britain welcome 40 million overseas visitors by 2020, spending ?31.5 billion and supporting an additional 200,000 jobs across the country.
Tourism is an industry that already employs 2.6 million people a year ? supporting one in twelve jobs in the UK.
In the past two years a third of all new jobs created were in tourism.
And tourism offers jobs across all skills levels and age ranges, particularly offering opportunities for young people ? 40 per cent of those employed in tourism are under 40.
International tourism is already an industry at which Britain competes well.
Last year Britain welcomed 31 million international visitors who spent ?18.6 billion ? a record amount.
The aim of this partnership strategy is to deliver a further 29 per cent growth in visits by 2020, that increase would deliver an additional ?8.7 billion in foreign exchange earnings.
The growth strategy is built around four key objectives:
Building on Britain?s improved international image.
Increasing engagement with the travel trade.
Broadening the product range on offer for inbound tourists.
Making it easier to get to Britain.
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