Press release

Jeremy Hunt says promoting tourism will be key priority for DCMS in run-up to 2012

Plans to create tourism legacy from Olympic Games and Diamond Jubilee, and pledge to boost domestic market share

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

A new Government priority, to produce ‘the best marketing plan that any country has ever had’ around 2012, was set out today by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt in his first key-note speech on tourism policy.

Mr Hunt today pledged to:

  • Create a new fund with the aim of generating £1 billion worth of PR and marketing activity in our priority markets in the years around 2012
  • Harness the full potential of 2012 to create a permanent tourism legacy for the whole country, creating a sustained and sustainable increase in the number of tourists visiting our shores
  • Set the industry a new goal: to increase the domestic tourism spend by UK residents to 50 per cent of the total
  • Review the web of quangos that affect tourism, aiming to simplify and focus support for the tourism industry, which is worth around £90 billion to the economy.

Speaking in Weymouth, the first 2012 Olympics venue to be completed, Mr Hunt said:

“Making sure we have a lasting tourism legacy from hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is one of the most pressing issues for the industry, and a top priority for Government too.  I want to do all I can to help deliver an increase in visitors to Britain in the years that follow.

“I believe no other country can offer such rich history, wonderful culture, or stunning countryside, and it’s important we showcase to the world the amazing range of attractions and experiences this country offers.

“But as well as encouraging more people from overseas to visit our shores, I also want to make sure we do all we can to get British holidaymakers to stay in the UK. So I’m challenging the whole tourism sector to increase the proportion of domestic tourism spend by UK residents to fifty per cent.”

Mr Hunt stressed that the UK would learn the lessons from other global events in the past such as the Olympics in Barcelona and Sydney, and Germany’s hosting of the World Cup:

“My priority is to make sure that London 2012 gets it right; that we draw on all these lessons to produce the best tourism marketing plan that any country has ever had.  That is why I am announcing today that I want to create a new fund with the aim of generating £1 billion worth of PR and marketing activity in our 20 priority markets in the years around 2012.”

The DCMS will work with private sector partners both to build up this fund and work out the most cost effective way to spend it.  Detailed plans of how this fund will work will be published by the end of September.

Notes to Editors

A transcript of the full speech will be available on the DCMS website shortly.

Press Enquiries: 020 7211 2210
Out of hours telephone pager no: 07699 751153
Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6000

Published 11 June 2010