Comment
Window of opportunity As general prosperity increases in countries such as China and India, a new breed of international traveller is emerging. The UK can do more to attract visitors from these expanding source markets, says Philippe Rossiter FIH, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality
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he latest provisional figures from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) reveal that 2011 was a record year for holiday visits to the UK, with numbers of tourists from Brazil up by 51 per cent; Russia up 20 per cent and China up 32 per cent. The global travel market is on the verge of massive sea-change and destinations around the world are competing to attract visitors from expanding source markets such as the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), and the UK is no exception. VisitBritain says tapping into these markets is central to its ambitious four-year growth plan to get four million extra visitors spending £2 billion of extra revenue. While none of the BRIC countries currently feature in the UK’s top 10 inbound provider countries, visitor numbers are steadily growing. China and India, both with over a billion citizens, account for more than a third of the world’s population, and all four BRICs are pivotal in a wider phenomenon: the creation of a new global middle class. According to Jim O’Neil, chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, we are not even a quarter of the way through this process, with three billion more people set to enter the global middle class in the next 30 years. However, in its attempts to lure this new breed of monied traveller, critics argue the UK has already lost ground to European rivals such as France and Germany, partly due to government policies that have put the UK at a competitive disadvantage. While a standard Schengen Visa, which allows entry into all 26 European countries who have now joined the Schengen Agreement, costs just €60 – or
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just €35 for citizens of some countries such as Russia – and is comparatively simple to attain, those wishing to visit Britain need to obtain a separate UK visa. In many cases, this costs as much as £125 and obtaining it can be a major headache for prospective tourists, with long forms to be completed in English only and mandatory visits to remote visa offices.
fee despite remaining airside throughout the entire journey. However, we should not be too downbeat about the UK’s prospects. Last year we retained our sixth-place on the UNWTO’s list of global tourism destinations, based on international visitor arrivals. The UK was also ranked seventh out of 139 countries in last year’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report – up four places on its previous placing two years earlier. ritics argue that Britain’s The UK climbed one place in October rigorous immigration policies 2011’s Anholt-GFK Roper Nation Brands are making it uncompetitive Index (NBI), overtaking France, scoring a topsix placing in each of the six different brand as a global tourist destination measurement categories and gaining a high ranking as an aspirational destination from Of course, the UK needs to keep its both the Chinese and Indian markets. borders secure yet critics argue that Britain’s Following the creation of the Government’s rigorous immigration policies are making it new Tourism Policy in March 2011, with uncompetitive as a global tourist destination. involvement from bodies such as VisitBritain, Notably, in 2010, France received eight times the visa application process is being made more Chinese visitors than Britain and the easier from translating more forms into foreign UK’s share of total Chinese tourism stands at languages, to moving the initial application just 0.5 per cent. process online. This is a welcome development. According to the most recent figures In a few months’ time, the Olympic Games available from the European Tour Operators will put London and Britain into the living Association, in 2009, visa controls resulted rooms of millions of television viewers. For in 58,000 tourists cancelling their trips to the growing numbers of well-off citizens in the Britain and 300,000 deciding not to apply. world’s most populous countries, it may push Furthermore, critics highlight examples of a visit to Britain further up their wish-lists. A unfairness within the UK visa system which more accessible visa application process will do damages its reputation. For example, a South much to facilitate the desired long-term legacy African travelling from his home country to of the Olympics and to convert aspirations Canada via Heathrow still has to pay a £51 UK into holidays in the UK.
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The Institute of Hospitality is the professional body for individual managers and aspiring managers working and studying in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry. It has been the industry’s leading network for more than 70 years. The Institute promotes the highest standards of management and education and provides a range of services to support and develop its members’ professional skills. Further information is available at www.instituteofhospitality.org
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