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Tourism Action Plan

The government’s Tourism Action Plan outlined its UK-wide support for the industry – including the Discover England Fund

What is the Tourism Action Plan?

There to increase Britain’s appeal to international and domestic visitors, and improve connections between the country’s key attractions and destinations, Tourism Action Plan renewed the government’s commitment to the industry.

Background to the Tourism Action Plan

Announced in 2016, it built on the previous Five Point Plan (published in 2015) with similar goals. Britain had experienced a record-breaking year for inbound tourism in 2015, with 36 million overseas visitors spending £22.1 billion, and the Tourism Action Plan was intended to sustain this appeal while also serving domestic visitors.

Tourism Action Plan Initiatives

The Tourism Action Plan’s initiatives included:

  • Making travel easier with a new GREAT tourism rail offer, including five new easy-to-book rail itineraries to help tourists travel around the UK.

  • Addressing the industry’s seasonal nature through a flexible apprenticeship scheme, allowing training to be completed over 16-18 months rather than 12, with breaks included.

  • Cutting red tape with sensible regulation – for example changing licensing to allow bed and breakfasts to offer welcome drinks, and modifying vehicle licensing to allow bed and breakfast owners to collect guests from train stations.

In October 2017, the UK Government published an updated version of the plan: Tourism Plan - One Year On, identifying the progress that had been made. It found that from January to July 2017, there were 23.1 million visits to the UK by overseas residents – an increase of 8% compared with January to July 2016. Spending over the same period increased by 9%, from £12.2 billion to £13.3 billion.

Tourism Action Plan: key focus points

The tourism landscape

Restructuring VisitBritain and VisitEngland, and the announcement of the £40 million Discover England Fund.

Skills

Boosting apprenticeships and attracting more people to careers in tourism.

Common sense regulations

Examining the scope for deregulation where appropriate and applicable.

Transport

Making it easier for visitors to explore the UK by rail, bus and coach.

A GREAT welcome

Driving continuous improvements in the visa service, and the welcome of overseas visitors.

Read the full Tourism Action Plan

Read the full Tourism Action Plan

Download the full original version of the 2016 Tourism Action Plan from Gov.uk, for a comprehensive overview of its ambitions and ideas.

Download the full original version of the 2016 Tourism Action Plan from Gov.uk, for a comprehensive overview of its ambitions and ideas.

Quote

"We are making it easier for visitors to travel beyond London and experience all of the world-class attractions the UK has to offer, to make sure the benefits of this thriving industry are felt by the many and not the few."
– The Rt Hon Theresa May MP, former Prime Minister

Our contributions to the Tourism Action Plan

VisitBritain/VisitEngland held a leading role on many aspects of the Tourism Action Plan, including:

Tourism Landscape

  • Delivery of the Discover England Fund, which continued for five years and is now closed (see Our history for more information).

  • Business Events through the continued administration of the Business Events Growth Programme.

  • Co-ordinating the industry proposal for the Tourism Sector Deal, which was later announced in 2019.

Jobs and Skills

Transport 

  • Developing and publishing rail itineraries on our consumer and trade websites.

  • Publishing best practice ‘final mile’ guidelines, showcasing different ways to connect transport hubs with accommodation and attractions.

Devolved nations

The British Tourist Authority is the national tourist agency, responsible for marketing Britain worldwide and developing Britain’s visitor economy. In the UK, tourism is devolved with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each having their own national tourist boards.

VisitBritain/VisitEngland was key to the success of the Tourism Action Plan, (see Our contributions to the Tourism Action Plan, above), and we agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with VisitScotland and Visit Wales for a more coordinated approach to inbound tourism, as well as a specific work programme with Northern Ireland.

Find out more about the Tourism Action Plan

Five Point Plan

Read the government’s announcement of the Five Point Plan in 2015.

 

Tourism Action Plan

Read the official document setting out the Tourism Action Plan in 2016.

Government guide to the Tourism Action Plan

Read the announcement of the Tourism Action Plan and Discover England fund.

Tourism Action Plan - One Year On

Download the Impact Assessment of the Tourism Action Plan, published in 2017.

The Tourism Landscape

Download the guide to the 2016 tourism agenda, published after the Five Point Plan.