UKinbound proposal to The Treasury

UKinbound has called on The Treasury to save inbound tourism through the creation of an ‘Inbound Tourism Resilience Fund’ to help businesses which are reliant on international visitors to survive until the market hopefully returns in Spring 2021.

Figures show that Covid-19 has brought inbound tourism to a virtual standstill:

• 76% (Source VisitBritain) fall in international visitors throughout 2020, and key markets such as the USA and China closed almost entirely
• UK economy projected to be losing £457m a week this year through the loss of visitor spending in the UK
• Just 17% of tour operators and destination management companies are confident about the next 12 months and 60% fear their business will be unable to survive the crisis

UKinbound is calling for the creation of an ‘Inbound Tourism Resilience Fund’ and has submitted a proposal to Treasury which would see tour operators and DMOs able to apply for a capped grant award fund based on the level of turnover lost in 2020 and forecast operating costs.

Without this support, it is likely that sectors that rely on tour operators and DMOs to bring in business including attractions, hospitality, retail and transport providers, will fail. It also suggests that regional destinations that rely on tour operators and DMOs to bring visitors will lose out on valuable income, putting tens of thousands of jobs at risk. There is also the risk that future businesses will be lost to competitor destinations.

A paper put together by UKinbound, the Scottish Destination Management Association and the  Scottish Incoming Golf Tour Operators Association, together with the STA has set out a specific ask to the Scottish Government to provide urgent support to members of these groups to enable their survival over the months ahead, given the significant of the role they fulfil and can play in the recovery of the tourism industry.