Recommendations & Conclusions
7 items
6
Conclusion
Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad
Acknowledged
We find it astonishing that the Minister and the Treasury were unable to tell us what assessment was made of the impact on the number of tourists coming here, not just in terms of raw visitor numbers but also the indirect benefits of their staying here. We are led to …
Read more
We find it astonishing that the Minister and the Treasury were unable to tell us what assessment was made of the impact on the number of tourists coming here, not just in terms of raw visitor numbers but also the indirect benefits of their staying here. We are led to conclude that either the Treasury did not consider this or, if they did, gave little weight to DCMS’s warnings of its potential devastating impact on the industry. The Government fixed on its policy without ensuring it had the full facts before doing so. To make such a decision without considering its indirect impact, not just the direct one, is extraordinary and has already harmed the industry on which so much of our economy depends.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government says it consulted widely on the change and assessed evidence, balancing fiscal and economic impacts. DCMS will consider the impact of future decisions affecting the inbound tourism sector, noting both direct and indirect consequences of a policy.
Read full response →
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
8
Recommendation
Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad
Acknowledged
In all future decisions affecting the inbound tourism sector, the Government should conduct impact assessments not only of the direct consequences of a policy but of the indirect ones as well.
Government response AI summary
The government states it will endeavour to consider the impact of future decisions affecting the inbound tourism sector, noting both direct and indirect consequences of a policy, but references the OBR assessment of the VAT Retail Export Scheme and its wider context.
Read full response →
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
9
Conclusion
Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad
Acknowledged
The decision to ban ID cards is having a crippling effect on those businesses which rely on inbound visits from children and young people, businesses which are often based in seaside resorts. Any potential risk to security needs to be balanced with common sense: those on organised educational trips are …
Read more
The decision to ban ID cards is having a crippling effect on those businesses which rely on inbound visits from children and young people, businesses which are often based in seaside resorts. Any potential risk to security needs to be balanced with common sense: those on organised educational trips are unlikely to attempt to remain illegally.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges concerns around the repeal of EU ID cards and will review mitigations through the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG), but has no plans to change its approach to under 18s travelling as part of an organised group.
Read full response →
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
10
Recommendation
Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad
Acknowledged
We recommend that the Government should allow children and young people under the age of 18, travelling as part of a supervised educational and/or cultural group visit, to enter the UK on a single group ID card.
Government response AI summary
The Government describes a more streamlined and agile approach to AMC spend control and will continue to evaluate the case for a rise in VisitBritain's PASS approval threshold but does not directly address the recommendation.
Read full response →
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
12
Recommendation
Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad
Acknowledged
We recommend that the Government should review entry requirements for visitors with a view to ensuring they match or surpass those of our competitors. It should publish the outcome of its review within 12 months.
Government response AI summary
The Government describes existing structures (IMG and Tourism Industry Council) for discussing and addressing issues related to the visitor economy, but doesn't specifically commit to reviewing entry requirements or publishing the outcome.
Read full response →
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
21
Conclusion
Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad
Acknowledged
We are deeply concerned about how long VisitBritain must wait for confirmation of its Comprehensive Spending Review funding and, particularly, its marketing spend approval. This year’s delays in the Professional Assurance approval process meant VisitBritain was unable to undertake critical work in international markets and so damaged the recovery of …
Read more
We are deeply concerned about how long VisitBritain must wait for confirmation of its Comprehensive Spending Review funding and, particularly, its marketing spend approval. This year’s delays in the Professional Assurance approval process meant VisitBritain was unable to undertake critical work in international markets and so damaged the recovery of the inbound tourism sector as a whole. We welcome the fact that the Cabinet Office responded more quickly during lockdown, but this highlights not only the necessity of acting swiftly but also the Cabinet Office’s ability to do so. All marketing campaigns generate significant costs and so VisitBritain hits the threshold of £100,000 on most, if not all, of its work. Given that the Government established VisitBritain to promote Britain abroad, it is nonsensical that approval processes are directly limiting its ability to do so. We recognise that £100,000 may be a useful threshold for non-marketing organisations but the nature of VisitBritain’s work means that it should have a much higher threshold for its campaign spend.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges concerns about delays in VisitBritain's marketing spend approval and states that as part of wider reforms of Cabinet Office controls, the AMC spend control will adopt a more streamlined and agile approach.
Read full response →
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
22
Recommendation
Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad
Acknowledged
We recommend that within the next three months the Government should negotiate with VisitBritain a rise in its PASS approval threshold.
Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the recommendation and states it will continue to evaluate the case for a rise in VisitBritain’s PASS approval threshold as part of future operational planning. They cite ongoing reforms to advertising, marketing, and communication (AMC) spending controls.
Read full response →
Department for Culture, Media and Sport