Eliana Willis

English Tourism Week is fast approaching with this year’s week dedicated to showing support for tourism businesses and destinations across the sector as they reopen and start to rebuild.
Coordinated by VisitEngland and taking place from 22 to 31 May, English Tourism Week is an annual celebration of the tourism industry, highlighting its economic importance to local economies and promoting the innovation, quality and range of products and services on offer to encourage more domestic breaks.
It comes as the tourism agency’s latest forecasts show that domestic tourism spending is estimated this year of £51.4 billion, just over half of the £91.6 billion in 2019.
Last year alone saw about two-thirds of the value wiped off the domestic tourism industry, a £58 billion loss to the economy.
Tourism minister, Nigel Huddleston, said: “The tourism sector has undoubtedly faced enormous challenges over the past year. ADVERTISEMENT“This is why we have provided over £25 billion in support to date, including the unprecedented VAT cut.
“Tourism and hospitality businesses across the country have continually impressed me with their ability to adapt over the past year and I know they’re all ready to welcome us back.
“English tourism has so much to offer, from rural retreats to city breaks.
“I can’t wait to get out there exploring and I urge everyone to join me in supporting our fantastic tourism sector by taking a domestic holiday over the coming months.”
In the lead-up to English Tourism Week and throughout VisitEngland is encouraging people to share photos and social media posts to show support for the sector using #EnglishTourismWeek21.
VisitEngland has also produced toolkits and a series of posters for tourism businesses and destinations to download and get involved in the week, promoting their local products and services, attractions and experiences.
VisitEngland and local destinations are also asking MPs, local authorities, the UK government and other stakeholders to get involved and show their support by visiting local businesses and attractions during the week.
VisitEngland director, Andrew Stokes, said: “Our annual event to celebrate and champion English tourism has never been more important, providing a timely opportunity to show the outstanding offer here on our doorstep as we head in to the critical summer season and to support local businesses and visitor attractions, who have lost months of vital trading, as they reopen and rebuild.
“By highlighting the quality and sheer diversity of tourism products, destinations and experiences across England we also hope people will consider an extra holiday at home this year, exploring somewhere new, revisiting a favourite attraction or taking a city-break.
“With international tourists slower to return this is also the year to rediscover the crown jewels of English tourism in our vibrant city centres.
“Millions of jobs and local economies rely on tourism and businesses and destinations have been working flat-out, innovating and adapting to safely welcome visitors back and making sure they have a great experience.
“They will be very pleased to see you.”

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On the Beach has taken the dramatic step of taking all holidays this summer off sale.
The company, one of the largest tour operators in the UK, blamed “continuing uncertainty” around international leisure travel.
Simon Cooper, who leads the business, said he needed to know more about how the traffic light requirements will impact customers.
All destinations are currently ranked as ‘green,’ ‘amber,’ or ‘red’ by the government in England, with travel discouraged to the latter two.
Only a small handful of countries, including Israel and Portugal, are currently considered safe for travel. ADVERTISEMENTCooper said: “There’s nothing we want more than to be able to send customers on holiday, but with the current number of unknowns we don’t think that now is the right time for customers to book new holidays departing in the next few months.”
He added: “We don’t know enough yet about how the traffic light system will work in practice, and it doesn’t currently give any certainty or clarity beyond a three-week window. 
“In the coming weeks and months – until vaccination programmes across Europe and beyond are further along in their rollout – it is very likely that we will see regular fluctuations in destinations’ traffic light classifications, and so there is likelihood of disruption or even cancellations for the many customers who want to book more than three weeks in advance.”
No trips before September are currently being sold by On the Beach.
Recent YouGov research found that less than a third of English people would feel comfortable about travelling internationally once travel restrictions are lifted.
Some 85 per cent of consumers said that they would not want to travel to an amber destination under current guidelines. 
Just 33 per cent said that they thought travel to a ‘green’ country would be worth it if it meant taking Covid-19 tests before departure and after arrival.
“Given this, there is too much uncertainty for us to take new bookings with confidence that they will go ahead, or for us to know the potential inconvenience or incremental costs that customers might experience or incur,” said Cooper.
“As a result, we have taken the decision to stop selling holidays for this summer until customers have greater clarity and can make more informed booking decisions.”
In contrast, rivals easyJet and TUI Group have previously said they will continue to sell holidays to amber destinations, largely in the belief they are likely to be added to the safe list in the near future.
Cooper added: “Unlike many of our competitors, we have no interest in selling holidays that are unlikely to happen, as our business model enables us to put customers first, rather than needing to get cash in the door to contribute to high fixed costs, and offering refunds in the form of a voucher when holidays get cancelled.
“This is a temporary measure that we will review in line with the next government announcement.
“In the meantime, we will focus our efforts on helping and advising our customers who already have bookings of their options to either still go on their holiday, amend their holiday or, where the holiday is cancelled, refunding them in cash within 14 days.”

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Gloria Guevara had stepped down as chief executive of the World Travel & Tourism Council.
A former tourism secretary of Mexico, she had led the private sector body since 2017.
Guevara will be replaced by Julia Simpson, who currently sits on the executive committee of International Airlines Group (IAG).
Simpson, who will take up the role in August, brings extensive experience of the tourism sector, having served on the boards of British Airways, Iberia and most recently as chief of staff at IAG.
She also previously worked at senior levels in the UK government including advisor for the UK prime minister.
Julia Simpson will take over as leader of the WTTC this summer
Carnival Corporation chief executive, Arnold Donald, who was recently appointed as chairman of WTTC, paid tribute to Guevara and welcomed Simpson to her new role.
Donald said: “I would like to first thank Gloria for her dedication and commitment to WTTC, especially in these difficult times.ADVERTISEMENT“Her contributions have been immeasurable, from helping to unite the sector as it manages and recovers from the pandemic, to providing a clear voice and direction for the safe restart of international travel.”
He added: “I am delighted to welcome Julia Simpson, an exceptional leader with experience both in the private sector and in government, to help guide WTTC at this critical juncture of the tourism sector.”
Guevara, who recently presided over a successful Global Summit in Cancun, said she was leaving with a heavy heart.
“I am very proud to have led this diverse and talented team and to have worked with so many amazing industry leaders, who are our members, and built strong relationships with government heads of tourism around the world.
“I leave WTTC after completing my mandate, in a stronger position as the voice of the private sector and the leader of the global agenda.”

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Robinson, a high-end brand owned by TUI Group, is sharpening its profile for its fiftieth anniversary with the launch of a new brand identity.
The first Robinson Club Jandia Playa opened 50 years ago on Fuerteventura as a small project by the German company.
Half a century later, TUI has become a leading tourism group and Robinson has expanded to 26 clubs across 15 countries, respected as the German market leader for premium club holidays.
For its birthday, the club provider is now launching its new brand identity and confirming its positive outlook on carefree travel after the pandemic.
Bernd Mäser, managing director of Robinson, commented: “Even during the pandemic, we were able to welcome thousands of guests in compliance with comprehensive hygiene and safety measures. ADVERTISEMENT“There was a great deal of trust in our brand already before the crisis and it is now paying off.
“As soon as we can reopen a club, we see bookings come in immediately – the bond with our guests is overwhelming.
“We are convinced that we will see a boom in bookings with the upcoming changes to travel rules with the most beautiful beach clubs sure to top the list.”
A parrot has served as the brand logo for Robinson since it was founded.
The colourful bird stands for happy, carefree sociability and continues to symbolise the central promise of the holiday provider.
While the head was more abstract in the company logo over the past 27 years, the likeable bird is now clearly recognisable again.
The typeface of the word mark has also been revised: the new sans serif font appears timelessly clear, underpins the premium claim and perfectly complements the formal language of the animal.
A TUIfly aircraft with the new Robinson corporate design and parrot will soon enter its service in the TUIfly fleet.

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Robinson, a high-end brand owned by TUI Group, is sharpening its profile for its fiftieth anniversary with the launch of a new brand identity.
The first Robinson Club Jandia Playa opened 50 years ago on Fuerteventura as a small project by the German company.
Half a century later, TUI has become a leading tourism group and Robinson has expanded to 26 clubs across 15 countries, respected as the German market leader for premium club holidays.
For its birthday, the club provider is now launching its new brand identity and confirming its positive outlook on carefree travel after the pandemic.
Bernd Mäser, managing director of Robinson, commented: “Even during the pandemic, we were able to welcome thousands of guests in compliance with comprehensive hygiene and safety measures. ADVERTISEMENT“There was a great deal of trust in our brand already before the crisis and it is now paying off.
“As soon as we can reopen a club, we see bookings come in immediately – the bond with our guests is overwhelming.
“We are convinced that we will see a boom in bookings with the upcoming changes to travel rules with the most beautiful beach clubs sure to top the list.”
A parrot has served as the brand logo for Robinson since it was founded.
The colourful bird stands for happy, carefree sociability and continues to symbolise the central promise of the holiday provider.
While the head was more abstract in the company logo over the past 27 years, the likeable bird is now clearly recognisable again.
The typeface of the word mark has also been revised: the new sans serif font appears timelessly clear, underpins the premium claim and perfectly complements the formal language of the animal.
A TUIfly aircraft with the new Robinson corporate design and parrot will soon enter its service in the TUIfly fleet.

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Tui Group has pinned hopes for a its financial recovery on a strong European summer.
The company reported an adjusted loss of €1.3 billion for the first half of the year, down further from losses of €795 million seen in the same period last year.
Tui pointed to “massive” travel restrictions as the primary driver of the losses.
Looking ahead, capacity for the core months of the 2021 summer programme remains equivalent to around 75 per cent of the 2019 summer programme.
A pick-up in demand has been clearly evident in recent weeks, Tui said, with new bookings doubling since April.ADVERTISEMENTTUI has recorded a total of 2.6 million bookings for this summer, though this is 69 per cent lower than at the comparable point in time for summer 2019.
Average prices are 22 per cent higher than for summer 2019 due to the high proportion of all-inclusive packages in current bookings.
Fritz Joussen, TUI Group chief executive, said: “The prospects for early summer 2021 make me optimistic for tourism and for TUI.
“They are significantly better than in the first pandemic year, 2020.
“Scientists and doctors know the virus, there are vaccines from several manufacturers, the vaccination campaigns are working everywhere in Europe and rapid tests are now available everywhere.
“Much has been achieved in the last 14 months through government programmes and the discipline of us all.”
He added: “Incidence levels in key destinations are falling steadily.
“The Balearic and Canary Islands are well below 50 new cases a day.
“The opening of Mallorca over the Easter holidays with thousands of TUI guests has shown that safe and relaxing holidays are possible in times of the pandemic.”

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CWT has appointed Courtney Mattson to the role of acting chief financial officer.
She will also become a member of the executive leadership team.
Immediately prior to this she was global treasurer and deputy chief financial officer.
At the same time, Patrick Andersen has been appointed president and chief commercial officer, while Niklas Andreen has taken up the role of chief operating officer.
The changes follow the appointment of Michelle McKinney Frymire as chief executive of the company earlier this month.
“We have an incredibly talented leadership team globally, and I am delighted that this continues to be reflected in these appointments,” said Frymire.ADVERTISEMENT“We remain committed to our proven growth strategy, focused on our industry-defining, successful business-to-business approach, which we believe is a true differentiator in business travel management.
“Courtney, Patrick, and Niklas are all key partners in that journey along with the balance of our executive leadership team.”
Mattson joined CWT as treasurer in November 2018, from Mosaic, a public company based in Minneapolis, where as treasurer she was responsible for the company’s capital markets, insurance and treasury operations functions.

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The £2.5 billion in rent debt hanging around the neck of the hospitality industry is a threat to the future of thousands of businesses and over 330,000 sector jobs, new analysis by UKHospitality has revealed.ADVERTISEMENTA new survey of members, found that resolving the rent debt issue is critical to ensuring the future health of a sector that pre-pandemic accounted for ten per cent of UK employment.
As part of its submission the government, UKHospitality highlighted that more than half of operators surveyed said they have not had a rent reduction from their landlord, despite prolonged periods of closure and over a year of punitive trading restrictions.
Other key findings include:

Some 52 per cent have not been given any extension to pay rent.
A total of 73 per cent are either unable or do not know how they can pay their rent arrears.
Some 40 per cent have not been able to reach a deal with their landlord over rent concessions.

If the current protections that are in place are removed this summer, the analysis estimated that a sixth of the remaining hospitality workforce, equivalent to 332,000 jobs, could be lost.
This would be in addition to the hundreds of thousands of jobs already lost during the course of the pandemic.
Kate Nicholls, UKHospitality chief executive, said: “Our survey shows that while a proportion of operators have been able to strike a deal with their landlords on payment of rent debt, for many there have been no concessions and little engagement on the issue.
“The issue of rent debt must be resolved in a way that shares the burden as businesses simply cannot be expected to pay their rent arrears in full.
“This is why the government must take affirmative action to help hospitality rebuild and play its part in the economic recovery.
“There has to be a sharing of the pain caused by lockdowns and trading restrictions.”

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