TIC Bulletin (27/07/2022) for Partners update

UFI Global Barometer for the Exhibitions Industry

The UFI Global Barometer for the Exhibitions Industry (see page 122 for UK data) is available to download on the BVEP website – BVEP – Business Visits and Events Partnership – UFI Global Exhibition Barometer (July 2022).

Call for Evidence – Summer Demand

To better understand the state of the domestic sector over the summer months, DCMS are looking for additional trading and demand data (e.g. sales, consumer sentiment or other sector intelligence and demand indicators). They will use this to bolster the information they already use to assess sector recovery and to paint a more holistic picture. 

Where available, we ask Partners to provide data on your region and/or organisation. Any data, in any format would be greatly appreciated. Where possible, it would be useful to delineate the recovery of domestic vs inbound demand and sales. 

All contributions should be sent back to Jonathan Morris at the Tourism Team at DCMS jonathan.morris@dcms.gov.uk copying Gaelle Connolly. Please can all returns be sent back to the tourism team by cop 5th August 2022. 

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and the BBC, have confirmed that the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted in the United Kingdom on behalf of this year’s winning broadcaster – Ukraine’s UA:PBC. 

The Host City bidding contest will begin this week. The BBC, as the official producer, will run the selection process and make the final decision to determine the host location of the contest.

The hosting of the contest in the UK is likely to provide a strong boost to the Visitor Economy. DCMS is working closely with the BBC to support the coordination of this major international event, which we want to use to celebrate Ukraine’s victory and demonstrate the strength of Ukrainian culture in the UK. 

Cost of Living initiatives

DCMS has been working closely with David Buttress, the Government’s new Cost of Living Business Tsar, to discuss ways in which the government can support those struggling with the cost of living, as well as businesses in the sector both now and in the coming months.

David has held a number of roundtables with businesses from a range of sectors to understand existing and proposed plans to help. The PM also recently launched the Help for Households site where the Cabinet Office is keen to support businesses and flag initiatives.

As part of these efforts, DCMS wants to ask whether: 

a) Event businesses are actively promoting low-cost services/experiences/stays or low-cost ways to travel to their areas? (FirstBus for example are proposing promoting being a local tourist in your own town, Trainline are keen to support more join up with attractions);

b) If so, whether DCMS can support by putting it forward for inclusion on the Help for Households website? Or by facilitating any join up with other organisations or businesses from other sectors?

Reminder: Short Term Accommodation Registration Scheme Call for Evidence

As you may know, the government committed to consider a Short Term Accommodation Registration Scheme in England in June 2021’s Tourism Recovery Plan. Due to the lack of robust data, the government wishes to firstly build an evidence base about the short term tourism accommodation sector, before a possible consultation about potential policy options. The call for evidence, which closes on 21st September 2022, is the first step in this process.

The scope of the call for evidence is high-level and wide ranging, in order to build a detailed and robust evidence base about the size and shape of the sector, the benefits it delivers and the challenges it poses. Alongside this, it seeks high level views on a range of responses the government could consider after taking the evidence into consideration, and also seeks views on possible regulatory alternatives to a registration scheme.