The Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) has expressed despair after the Government once again denied businesses in the inbound tourism sector access to the latest Covid-19 support.
BVEP joined the Coach Tourism Association (CTA), Confederation of Passenger Transport (CTP UK), English UK, ETOA, Tourism Alliance and UKinbound have collectively expressed their disbelief that Government has again chosen to deny businesses in the inbound tourism sector, which generated £28.4 billion in export earnings for the UK economy in 2019, access to the relief.
Simon Hughes, chairman of BVEP, said: “Event organisers have fallen through the cracks of government support. Yet they are the core of a £70 billion industry sector which employs 700,000 people. Many are small and individual businesses that do not have the means to survive a period of trading inactivity, that is already nearly 12 months long and could last well into the latter part of 2021. Given that there are over 5 million inbound visits to the UK annually to attend a business event, generating a spend of £3.5 billion, providing adequate support to event organisers is critical to the economic recovery of the UK.”
Since March 2020, the Government has excluded event organisers and destination management companies from being eligible for Business Grants, Local Restriction Support Grants and Business Rates Relief.
The Government’s new Business Support Package for January Lockdown, which includes a Closed Businesses Lockdown Payment and LRSG (Closed) Addendum is just the latest support measure to exclude inbound tourism businesses from applying.
The associations and their members have contacted ministers, MPs and government officials more than 100 times to outline why these businesses should be supported - arguing that they are previously profitable, generate billions for the UK economy and will significantly aid the UK’s economic recovery - and to ask for the eligibility criteria to be changed to include them. These requests continue to be ignored by Government.
Joss Croft, CEO, UKinbound said: “By refusing to support these businesses the Government is undermining an integral economic recovery channel. International inbound tourism is the UK’s third largest service export, earning the UK economy £28bn in 2019, and tour operator/DMCs alone bring in over half of all international visitors. With our travel corridors closed these businesses are now on the brink of survival after being left in the cold by existing Government support schemes.
“Without support and a clear Government roadmap for reopening we risk the near total collapse of the UK’s inbound tourism industry. When we can travel again international visitors will choose to visit other European destinations rather than the UK, causing irrevocable damage to the communities and regions who rely on tourism, leaving the Government’s Global Britain and levelling up ambitions in tatters.”
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
