Viewpoint: Emmanuelle Spriet asks if we are witnessing the death of tourism

While domestic business is seeing slight improvement following the end of Covid restrictions, inbound travel is severely hampered. Emmanuelle Spriet explains why we must all come together as a unified front.

As the last remnants of lockdown restrictions begin to ease, spare a thought for the beleaguered inbound tourism industry. While whole swathes of the economy have faced challenges, it’s high time to shine a light on an industry that pre-Covid was responsible for £28.4b in revenues to the UK economy.

The UK inbound sector is directly responsible for promoting, servicing and securing foreign travellers to the UK. Whereas the media spotlight has primarily focused on outbound travel, inbound tour operators have faced a slow and agonising decline while the borders remain firmly shut.

With the introduction of government assistance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the sector would be able to cope and survive as best it can, but the reality has been far more challenging. Stringent eligibility criteria have meant many businesses have struggled to benefit from the various support initiatives, such as business rates relief and restriction and restart grants.

As many in the inbound industry continue to struggle, it is time for the wider sector to sit up and take note. Without co-operation and support from all businesses, including hospitality, we could be facing a catastrophic collapse of inbound travel – and it may take years to undo this damage.

 

Without co-operation and support from all businesses, including hospitality, we could be facing a catastrophic collapse of inbound travel – and it may take years to undo this damage

The welcome uplift to hospitality in the form of UK domestic business is a short-term bump. Brought on by the effects of the national lockdowns and pent-up demand for recreation, the average Brit is likely to spend their hard-earned money in the pubs, restaurants and attractions here in the UK while the borders remain closed and travel restrictions are in force. The moment that these are lifted or eased, domestic business stands to evaporate or at least contract, as weary Brits book foreign getaways and take their cash outside of these shores.

With a healthy and vibrant inbound industry, however, we can weather the storms together. As a unified and interdependent economy, the active promotion and support of foreign travel to the UK will bring new custom and new revenue to the hospitality industry, while protecting jobs and ensuring the health of the entire supply chain.

In the wake of this crisis, a strong tourism ecosystem that ties our mutual interests together will offer new opportunities for innovation, such as the potential development of sustainable, low-carbon solutions to meet the demands of an increasingly astute consumer.

It’s great to see the beginnings of collaboration among industry peers and I applaud the work that the UK hospitality industry is doing to raise the plight of its members. In addition to supporting the lobbying efforts of UKinbound, as the owner of a destination management company, I have taken on a personal responsibility to lobby. I have met with my own local MP, with the parliamentary under-secretary of state for sport, heritage and tourism Nigel Huddleston, and most recently with former prime minister Theresa May. I have engaged in these meetings in the hope that someone in government will see the warning signs on the horizon and step up their support for a fragile industry that is vital to the livelihoods of an entire sector – the collapse of which will cause a catastrophic ripple throughout the entire supply chain.

Emmanuelle Spriet is founder and chief executive of E-Voyages