Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the role destination management organisations can have in support
the recovery of the (1) national, and (2) international, visitor
economy from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what
support they are providing to such organisations.
(CB) [V]
I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order
Paper and, in so doing, note that I am co-chair of the Midlands
Engine APPG.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport () (Con)
My Lords, in March the Government commissioned an independent
review of the destination management organisations in England to
look at these issues. The review is ongoing and will report later
in the summer. It will make recommendations on how DMOs might
best be structured and funded to support the post-Covid recovery
of the tourism sector. Last year, the Government provided £2.3
million in financial support to England’s DMOs so that they could
continue to carry out vital business support roles during the
pandemic.
(CB) [V]
I thank the Minister for that response. Local connections and
knowledge of place are key for DMOs. Does the Minister agree on
the importance of community-based action for DMOs and that
freedom from hierarchical structures is key in helping them
undertake their role effectively—for example, freedom from the
constraints inherent in local government structures and
strengthening connections with LEPs, town funds and future
levelling-up opportunities?
(Con)
The noble Lord will be aware that there are several different
models of DMO, but the Government recognise the point that he
makes about the important role that DMOs currently play in
supporting local communities, sharing their expertise and
building connections across destinations. The review will
consider the points he raises, taking into account current
examples of best practice, and will make recommendations based on
that.
(Con)
[V]
My Lords, what support for the recovery of these organisations
are the Government giving regarding the resulting instability of
endless changing of the red, amber and green countries?
(Con)
The Government recognise and regret the disruption to travellers,
particularly those who had been planning trips to Portugal
recently. We have provided £2.3 million in the last year
specifically to support the destination management organisations
in recognition of their crucial role.
(CB)
My Lords, in this country we are very lucky to have so many
museums and art galleries that are free to the public. And yet,
on occasion, DMOs have included in the list of things they can do
for visitors “entry into the British Museum”, et cetera. Will the
Government undertake not to support any organisations that market
themselves in this way?
(Con)
I am very happy to take the points raised by the noble Baroness
back to colleagues in the department.
(Lab)
My Lords, local authorities deserve praise for their work during
the pandemic to promote staycations: getting people to fall back
in love with the great British holiday either by exploring new
places in our rich and varied country or revisiting childhood
destinations. Are the Government considering giving these
hard-pressed councils and destination management organisations
additional financial and other support, at a time when the UK
desperately needs to grow domestic tourism and the hospitality
industry is suffering?
(Con)
The noble Baroness will be aware that the Government have given
huge support—over £25 billion—to the tourism, hospitality and
leisure sectors. We made an additional grant of £425 million
specifically to local authorities, making clear that tourism and
events were eligible for that funding, at the discretion of local
authorities.
(LD)
My Lords, a recent survey of tourism businesses by the Tourism
Alliance highlighted some severe staffing problems: only 18% of
businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector say that they
have enough staff, and almost one-third have had to reduce their
capacity, services or hours because they simply cannot get the
staff. What action are the Government taking with DMOs to rectify
this situation, which is wrecking the recovery not just of the
tourism industry but of local economies?
(Con)
The noble Baroness makes a good point, but the picture is
slightly more complicated than the one that she paints. She is
right that there are areas of shortage, but in significant
portions of the industry staff are still on furlough. There are
great geographic variations on that, and we are working closely
with the sector to assess how we can respond to the challenges it
faces.
(Con)
My Lords, can the Minister tell the House how the stronger towns
funding, the future high streets fund, the levelling-up fund, the
UK shared prosperity fund, the welcome back fund and the coastal
community fund are being co-ordinated to provide a coherent
strategy for tourism and, specifically, for seaside towns?
(Con)
I thank my noble friend for highlighting the varied and sustained
support that the Government have been offering in the range of
funds that he cited, some of which have been available since 2019
and others which are yet to be launched. We are working across
Whitehall and with local and regional stakeholders, including
DMOs, to make sure that ongoing investment in places reflects
their local priorities and needs.
(CB)
My Lords, following on from the question of the noble Baroness,
Lady Merron, there is a question about how much the Government
appreciate the important role local authorities should be playing
in the visitor economy. The news of further job losses for
visitor and museum staff, such as the 50% losses currently
threatened in Harrogate Borough Council, is hugely worrying.
Local authorities need to be given the resources to do the job
intended for them.
(Con)
The Government absolutely recognise the role that local
authorities play, and, as the noble Earl is aware, they are
important funders of DMOs. The review will look at the right
funding structure for these organisations going forward.
(Con)
My Lords, does my noble friend accept that regional transport
authorities have an important role to play in welcoming and
facilitating both national and international tourism? I am
thinking, for example, of the sorts of visitor welcome centres
that Transport for London has habitually maintained at major
London rail termini. Will she take steps to ensure that funding
is directed at keeping these in operation?
(Con)
The Government recognise the role that regional transport
authorities can play in providing information and assistance to
visitors, as my noble friend has outlined, particularly when they
co-ordinate that work with the DMOs. I have already mentioned the
£25 billion provided to support the sector, which has been one of
the worst hit; we have supported over 87% of businesses in this
area.
(Con)
The Government’s support in that respect is very welcome. One of
the themes of these questions is greater co-ordination between
DMOs and greater co-ordination of funds. Are the Government
planning a big domestic marketing campaign, given that has turned us into a captive audience for domestic
tourism?
(Con)
We are currently working with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and
local partners, including DMOs, to champion the diverse tourism
offer we have in this country through the Enjoy Summer Safely
campaign. We spent £19 million on domestic marketing activity
last year, and much more is planned for this year.
(CB) [V]
My Lords, given that many visitors wish to see international
artists, how much does the noble Baroness think this question is
bound up with post-Brexit rules on touring, and the difficulty of
getting artists to this country and getting our artists to other
countries?
(Con)
The two issues obviously have a link. Particularly for
international tourism into this country, the range of events we
have traditionally offered has been very important. We are
obviously trying to balance that with the safety of citizens.
(Con)
[V]
My Lords, in its recent submission to the Independent Review of
Destination Management Organisations, the Local Government
Association proposed that local councils should be given the
power to reinvest the money generated by tourism into their local
areas. Can the Minister comment on whether this recommendation
will be supported by the Government, since local councils need to
pay for the facilities to support such tourism?
(Con)
I really would not want to prejudge the review’s findings. When
we get those later this summer, we will respond on a way forward.
