Tourism Industry Council to help implement Government’s tourism plans

11-Dec-2015 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2021 at 15:03 GMT

Hilton Worldwide, along with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has announced the launched the Tourism Industry Council in the new Parliament.

The move follows the Government’s development of its Five Point Plan for Tourism, and it supports the new Inter-Ministerial Group on tourism.

The council has been developed to help the industry, which employs 2.9m people across the UK, develop initiatives to help the sector realise its full potential for growth.

Tourism Minister, Tracey Crouch MP, and Simon Vincent, executive vice president and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Hilton Worldwide, will chair the council.

Vincent said: “Tourism makes a vital contribution to the UK economy and I am delighted that the Tourism Council has been re-established following the election in May. The Government’s focus on our industry as a priority sector, supported through its Five Point Plan, is a huge achievement for tourism businesses and recognition of the crucial role they play in the UK economy.

“Hilton is committed to working collaboratively to boost growth and jobs in the hospitality and tourism industry. The Tourism Council is an excellent forum for the Government to listen to the industry, and vice-versa. I am looking forward to working with the Minister to meet challenges head on.”

The hospitality industry has contributed to the UK’s private sector jobs recover, accounting for 17 per cent of the country’s net employment growth between 2010 and 2014.

The council’s role will be to act as a ‘sounding board and point of dialogue’ between Ministers and the industry to support the implementation of the Government’s Five Point Plan for Tourism.

Members of the council include major employers, small businesses and representative organisations from the tourism industry.

Crouch said: "UK tourism is already a global success story that continues to contribute substantially to our economy. But we want to make sure the benefits of our world-class industry are spread more evenly across the whole country, and the Tourism Council will be central to delivering our vision for this as set out in the Five Point Plan."