HL Deb 05 October 1998 vol 593 cc73-4WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether it is their view that tourism into this country is likely to (a) continue at the present level; (b) increase substantially; or (c) diminish substantially; and, in whichever case, what is the evidence that supports this view. [HL3024]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

Our aim is to achieve sustainable growth in incoming tourism to this country. We cannot, however, make precise predictions of future levels of incoming tourism, for they will depend on factors over which we have little control, such as the performance of overseas economies and exchange rate fluctuations, as well as those which we can and shall influence, such as the quality of tourism products and services and the effectiveness of tourism promotion. Our new strategy for tourism, which will be published later this year, will set out our plans for achieving sustainable growth over the next decade.

Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the foundation in research for the statement by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport that tourism is an industry "with immense potential for future growth". [HL3025]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

In making judgments on the potential for the future growth of tourism, we look primarily at past performance—over the last 10 years incoming tourism expenditure has grown by over 20 per cent. in real terms*, and employment in tourism has grown by over 15 per cent.**—but we also consider projections made by respected organisations such as the World Tourism Organisation and the World Travel and Tourism Council, which currently predict significant long term growth in European and UK tourism expenditure and employment.

*Source: Office for National Statistics, International Passenger Survey.

**Source: Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey.