Tourism industry in danger as foreigners stay away
The UK tourism industry is in danger as foreigners still remain away, according to a survey from the Tourism Alliance.
Data has showed that 52 per cent of tourism businesses – including tour operators, language schools and events – suffered a fall in revenue over 50 per cent, while almost a quarter of them still have booking levels for the first quarter of 2022 down over 50 per cent.
The pandemic’s economic consequences have also impacted businesses’ cash reserves, as 26 per cent of respondent admitted they have no cash reserves while 55 per cent say they have less than two months of cash reserves.
As a result of the ongoing situation, 11 per cent of tourism businesses are very likely to fail while 40.8 per cent say they are quite likely.
“Businesses that rely on international travel have done badly – language schools, events, conferences. And because booking times for these things are longer, they will take longer to recover,” said the Tourism Alliance’s director Kurt Janson.
To stop the sector from going under, the body has called on the government to increase funding for international marketing, introduce a low-cost 5 year visitor visa as well as revise travel package regulations and set up a ‘list of travellers’ scheme for student groups.
“Now that we have left the EU and all visitors are required to have full passport, teachers are finding it too difficult to organise trips to the UK and are taking their English language students to Ireland and Malta instead – risking the collapse of the UK’s £1.2bn Language School industry and an important component of the UK’s soft power,” Janson told City PM
“Implementing a simple ‘list of travellers’ scheme whereby teacher accompanying schoolchildren list their pupils on a document that is checked on the way in and out of the country would solve this.”