Julia Simpson, the president and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, has called on the UK government to recognise the potential growth opportunities of the tourism industry.
She said: "The UK is at a critical juncture. The government is looking for growth and its travel and tourism sector offers just that.
"As one of the country’s largest employers alongside the NHS, contributing £280 billion to the UK economy last year, the sector has been misunderstood and poorly treated by successive governments.
"The government cannot tax its way out of debt, it needs to invest to grow. UK taxes are higher than many of its competitors – VAT, no tax-free shopping, employers National Insurance, APD, and now a potential new hotel tax, making the UK expensive to operate in and expensive to visit.
"Tourism promotion in the UK is chronically under-invested and it is arrogant to think tourists will always come to the UK."
Despite this, Julia has welcomed recent efforts to support the tourism sector in the UK.
She said: "I applaud the initiative by the new Minister for Media, Tourism, and Creative Industries, Sir Chris Bryant, to get leaders round the table at the Visitor Economy Advisory Council to tackle this and ensure travel and tourism can continue to be a major engine to economic growth.
"The new government has a unique opportunity to change the trajectory of travel and tourism in the UK. Despite the industry’s resilience, years of government inertia are taking their toll.
"We welcome the new government’s commitment to surpassing 50 million visitors by 2030, but this can only be achieved with the right policies in place."
