Tourism council outlines plans to support sector

By Emma Eversham

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Tourism

Tourism council outlines plans to support sector
The Governments new Tourism Advisory Council meets for the first time with the aim of giving support to the sector now and for the future

A new council to champion tourism within the UK has met for the first time with the aim of giving support to the sector through the economic downturn and beyond. 

The Tourism Advisory Council, chaired by tourism minister Barbara Follett (pictured, right), is made up of high level executives from companies in the travel and hospitality industries -  many of them from hotels - and will provide a link between businesses in those sectors and the Government. 

Follett decided to form the council following January`s tourism summit where she was criticised for not doing enough to help the industry. It was also a recommendation in VisitBritain`s British Tourism Framework Review​.

Following yesterday`s meeting she said: "By working together the British tourism industry can emerge from this economic downturn stronger than ever. The Advisory Council has a vital role to play because it will provide Government with the timely, sector specific intelligence that will allow us to direct help and advice to the areas that most need it.

"With over 1.4 million jobs in the British tourist industry, we must do all we can to support it through the good times and the bad."

The council will meet three times a year and will report ideas and news into the newly reformed inter-ministerial group on tourism. 

Companies with members on the council include Travelodge, Hand-Picked Hotels, Arora International Hotels, Barcelo Hotels UK, Number One Hotels and Bourne Leisure. 

The UK tourism industry was given a boost earlier today with the Met Office`s prediction of  `a barbecue summer`. 

Summer temperatures across the UK are expected to be warmer than average reaching 30 degrees or more at times and a repeat of the wet summers of 2007 and 2008 looks `unlikely` according to chief meteorologist Ewen McCallum. 

He said: "After two disappointingly-wet summers, the signs are much more promising this year. We can expect times when temperatures will be above 30 degrees celsius, something we hardly saw at all last year."

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