Tourism Industry Council update
The Tourism Industry Council (TIC) has been refreshed and membership for 2023 reviewed. We at the Tourism Alliance have been asked to continue to be a member of the TIC in 2023.
The TIC is a key forum for interface between the tourism industry and Government and is co-chaired by the Tourism Minister, Stuart Andrew MP and Karin Sheppard from IHG on the industry side.
As well as sitting on the core TIC we will sit on the newly established Workstream Leads Group which ‘provide strategic direction for the TIC’, ‘oversee the progress and outputs of the Working Groups’, ‘discuss live, short term issues affecting the sector as well as medium and long term challenges…’ and ‘will advise Minister in the goal of ensuring the Visitor Economy meets its full potential.’
CAA publishes next stage consultation on ATOL reform
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published a second consultation document on ATOL reform.
ATOL is the CAA-administered scheme to provide financial protection to consumers booking package holidays. Reform of the scheme has been mooted for some time, and an initial consultation phase was launched in April 2021. This second stage is a request for further information before final proposals are made, so there is still no clarity on what the reform will actually involve.
However, some things have been made clear and Travel Weekly have put together a good analysis of where we are with it.
Two key points from that analysis:
The CAA acknowledges the options it is considering “may lead to increased costs…potentially passed on to consumers through increased prices . . . [and] some Atol holders will incur greater costs than others”.
The CAA notes that as a consequence some Atol holders “might decide to exit the market” or “stop offering flight‑inclusive packages and instead sell holiday components separately . . . to lower regulatory costs”. However, it states: “This opportunity already exists”.
ABTA have welcomed the update from the CAA and said “We’ll be consulting with our members to get their insight, and also bringing together representatives from the wider financial protection landscape in February.
“We’d really encourage members to engage with our process so that we can provide an informed and constructive response to influence the CAA’s decisions.”
Draft Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement
So-called “fire and rehire” practices had a spotlight shine upon them during the pandemic, and subsequently with the P&O restructure. As a result the Government asked ACAS to work with them on a new statutory code of practice to clamp down on it, without banning it outright. That draft code is now out for consultation. Notably any company which does not follow the processes outlined in the code could be penalised in court.
The consultation, which may be of interest to some TA members, closes at 11:45pm on 18 April 2023.
Tourism Conference and reception booking link.
Thanks to everyone who has already booked for the Tourism Insights Conference and Parliamentary Reception.
Please share the link and graphic above on your social media and email networks. The conference is open to all. Any company or organisation sitting inside a TA member is eligible to attend at the TA Member rate.
Book tickets via:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thetourismalliance/832157
You may also wish to share our LinkedIn post promoting the event: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7020713511072735232
Conference and reception sponsorship opportunities
We have a range of sponsorship opportunities available for your organisation to promote your brand and messages through our Tourism Insights Conference and the Parliamentary Reception. See the PDF attached which explains which packages we still have available for you to choose from. If you are interested in securing a package, please let me know ASAP on Richard.Toomer@tourismalliance.com
The Heritage Alliance Cost of Living Roundtable – Heritage, Tourism, Arts and Culture
Our sister organisation, The Heritage Alliance, is pleased to invite tourism colleagues to an online roundtable on the cost of living.
The Zoom roundtable will take place on 8th February from 1330 to 1430. This will include tourism, heritage and culture organisations such as Treasure Houses of England.
This roundtable will help the HA add and update anecdotal information to their Evidence Desk which they are running for Historic England which is fed back fortnightly as part of their wider evidence gathering and advocacy work. It will help us at the Heritage Alliance to stay informed on the crisis in terms of which areas organisations are finding particularly difficult and assist our lobbying work.
Topics will include rising energy bills, staffing issues, cutting costs, consumer confidence and Covid, the impacts of the new energy announcement, and it will provide the chance to highlight any links across our sectors by looking back at the situation from last October and ahead to this financial year.
No pre-registration is needed. Just dial in as follows:
The Heritage Alliance is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83718892957?pwd=QWxtVlhMSmFVRUdCNlhoRjFQU0FSQT09
Meeting ID: 837 1889 2957
Passcode: 117514
Tourism Alliance email addresses
You can now contact the TA on the following email address:
General inquires: info@tourismalliance.com
Executive Director: Richard.Toomer@tourismalliance.com
Administrator: Amanda.Fry@tourismalliance.com [This address replaces any others for Amanda you may have in your contacts.]
TIC Update (20 Jan) – Levelling Up Fund Round 2 Announcement
As you may be aware, the successful bids from the second round of the Levelling Up Fund were announced earlier this week.
More than 100 projects were awarded a share of £2.1 billion to boost economic growth across the UK, including £672 million to develop better transport links, £821 million to kick-start community regeneration and £594 million to restore local heritage sites.
There are some brilliant wins from a visitor economy perspective. Key projects include:
- Eden Project North will receive £50 million to transform a derelict site on Morecambe’s seafront into a world class visitor attraction. It will also kick-start regeneration more widely in Morecambe, creating jobs, supporting tourism and encouraging investment in the seaside town.
- £20 million is going towards the regeneration of Gateshead Quays and the Sage, which will include a new arena, exhibition centre, hotels, and other hospitality. The development will attract nearly 800,000 visitors a year and will create more than 1,150 new jobs.
- Cardiff Crossrail has been allocated £50 million from the fund to improve the journey to and from the city and raise the economic performance of the wider region.
- Nearly £27 million has been guaranteed for a new roll-on, roll-off ferry for Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands. The service is a lifeline for the island, supporting its residents, visitors and supply chains, and without its replacement the community will become further isolated.
- A £50 million grant will help create a new direct train service, linking 4 of Cornwall’s largest urban areas: Newquay, St Austell, Truro, and Falmouth/Penryn. This will level up access to jobs, skills, education, and amenities in one of the most economically disadvantaged areas in the UK.
- Nearly £18 million allocated to transform the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl, one of the most recognisable buildings in South Wales, which is currently deteriorating after years of piecemeal refurbishments.
- £20 million to restore the Grade II listed Haigh Hall in Wigan, which will rejuvenate the area and make the site a popular destination for culture, community, events and hospitality.
A full list of bids can be found on gov.uk.
Congratulations to those who have contributed to successful bids. The quality of submissions was very high, and we’re looking forward to seeing the outcomes of these exciting and innovative projects.