Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 18
Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad
Published 24 Oct 2022
Paragraph 74
Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Promoting Britain abroad All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The de Bois review of Destination Management Organisations (DMO) received widespread support from across the industry and it is unacceptable that the Government took 11 months to respond and in such a half-hearted fashion. The Comprehensive Spending Review and departmental business planning are standard annual events and so the Government should not use these as an excuse for the delay. We can only conclude that restructuring the DMO sector was not a priority, confirming stakeholders’ fears that the Government fails to appreciate the urgency of the issue. Now is the time for bold action, yet the Government has failed to commit to any long-term change. We welcome the fact that the Government has accepted some of the report’s recommendations, but its response falls short of the changes necessary for Destination Management Organisations to reach their full potential. We acknowledge the fact that the Government must ensure public money is spent wisely but are disappointed that the Government has made no commitment to fund a national scheme should the pilot prove successful, nor published the criteria by which it will be judged.
From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Second Report - Promoting Britain abroad (HC 156), paragraph 74, 24 October 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 2 February 2023 (deadline 11 January 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government accepts the importance of tourism and the Committee's concerns in places, but does not accept several of the main recommendations, including a creative industries export office, a group ID card for under 18s, a recovery visa and a larger VisitBritain marketing budget.
- On a creative industries export office, the government "does not see a case" for one, citing existing export support. It will set out its ambition for the creative sector to 2030 in the Creative Industries Sector Vision, to be published "in early 2023".
- On VisitBritain's Business Events Growth Programme, the government "does not presently intend to expand" it, but "will continue to evaluate the case for expanding this as part of future DCMS budgetary planning". It does not intend to increase VisitBritain's marketing budget "at present".
- On entry rules, there are "no plans to change" the approach to under 18s in organised groups, though the government "will review mitigations through the Inter-Ministerial Group". It does not intend to publish a visa review outcome within 12 months, and does not intend to introduce a "recovery visa".
- On the de Bois recommendations, a Destination Development Partnership pilot in the North East will receive "£2.25 million across three years". If it is "successful", this will inform future spending review bids, with the "aim" to then roll out the model across England.