Steve Ridgway, Tourism Sector Deal Lead on why a sector deal is important to the industry

After submitting the Tourism Sector Deal to Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Steve Ridgway speaks about the importance of tourism getting government backing for a Tourism Sector Deal as part of the Industrial Strategy.

A Tourism Sector Deal will:

  • Increase tourism and hospitality skills boosting recruitment, skills and long-term careers providing the industry with the workforce it needs;
  • Boost productivity by extending the tourism season year-round and increasing global market share in the business visits and events sector;
  • Improve connections to increase inbound visits from more markets by 2030 by making it easier for overseas and domestic visitors to not only travel to the UK but explore more of it;
  • Create ‘tourism zones’ to build quality tourism products that meet visitors needs and expectations, extending the tourism season and fixing localised transport issues to improve the visitor experience