UK tourism leaders have urged destination management organisations (DMOs) to work with Government to ensure the recommendations of a major report are introduced as policy.
Nick de Bois, chairman of the VisitEngland advisory board, and Sally Balcombe, CEO of VisitBritain and VisitEngland, were speaking as part of the Tourism Management Institute (TMI) Annual Convention in Coventry. They were joined on a panel by Tourism Alliance’s Kurt Janson.
The convention, with a focus on sustainable destinations, was held in Coventry and brought together more than 60 key individuals from DMOs nationwide ‐ with TMI supported in organisation by Conference Coventry and Warwickshire. The event also saw more than 50 industry professionals join online via live stream.
It followed on from The De Bois Review: an independent review of DMOs in England – which was led by Nick de Bois and completed in August 2021.
The review recommendations, if implemented, will help to overcome gaps in funding as well as create a simplified national DMO structure that will be able to deliver Government tourism objectives, a strong regional voice for tourism and above all a platform for local regional growth.
De Bois, attending the conference independently, is a former MP who during his time in Parliament chaired the first All Parliamentary Group for the Events Industry. He was appointed the Government’s first UK Event Industry Board chairman and became chair of the VisitEngland Advisory Board in June 2020.
Speaking at the convention, de Bois called on DMOs and the wider to industry to work together with their MPs regarding the new report and encourage them to support it becoming Government policy.
"DMOs are the glue of the local visitor economy and we are calling for more Government investment in that sector as they can be a real agent of growth for the tourism industry,” he said. "There is no other sector that better meets the Government's ‘Levelling Up’ criteria than tourism and we would encourage local DMOs to go to their MPs and get behind this review. The review will help to overcome gaps in funding as well as bridge the distance that some DMOs find between themselves and their regional neighbours.
"We are not looking for growth that is determined by lines drawn on maps, but industry‐wide development that draws on local knowledge and passion."
Sally Balcombe is CEO of VisitBritain/VisitEngland, leads on marketing Britain internationally and England domestically, working with the industry in England to build product and share best practice and advises Government to ensure tourism is considered in policy making.
She backed the new report and highlighted the importance of bringing back international tourism to drive the industry back to pre‐pandemic levels.
"International tourism is vital to recovery and there is potential to tap into the multiple overseas tourism markets as vaccination levels rise,” she said. "We are also looking at ways to combine heritage‐based tourism with an approach that affords greater ownership of national tourism to a younger generation.
"One of the greatest concerns is that tourism should be sustainable, and one way in which we hope to achieve this while still driving regional growth is through encouraging visitors to stay longer and travel slower ‐ using public transport and exploring areas off the beaten track and outside of peak travel times."
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.
