ABTA – The Travel Association today responds to a speech by Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on UK Tourism, outlining a number of initiatives aimed at supporting domestic and inbound tourism in the UK.

ABTA Chief Executive, Mark Tanzer, said:  “We welcome the Secretary of State’s comments, now is an excellent time to build on the success of the Jubilee and Olympics and remind tourists of the wide attractions that the UK offers as a destination.  We see inbound, domestic and outbound as entirely complementary aspects of tourism, which together can generate jobs and economic growth in the UK. For the Government’s vision for tourism to be achieved, the obvious barriers to tourism such as high levels of aviation taxes, visa costs and bureaucracy, inadequate infrastructure and poor service at the borders must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Today is a step in the right direction, and we look forward to the Government putting forward further concrete policies to ensure a more competitive UK product.”