PRESS RELEASE - MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2008

Tourism Industry survives wet summer – but remains concerned at lack of Government support

Visitor figures for Britain’s tourist attractions made a strong recovery towards the end of 2007 despite the unusually wet summer, it was announced today by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).  There was very little change overall  from 2006 with an increasing number of visitors from the new Accession States within the EU tending to balance out slower growth from India and China.  But whilst the industry remains vibrant and continues to be a significant contributor to the British economy, the Association criticised Government for refusing to “take tourism seriously”.

Robin Broke, Director of ALVA, warned that: “The government’s continuing refusal to “Take Tourism Seriously” and its failure to fund VisitBritain to an appropriate level for the tasks it should be undertaking, both internally and abroad, were greatly inhibiting Britain’s tourism industry from competing in the global market place where other countries were slowly but surely overtaking Britain as a destination.  More seriously it was preventing the nation’s fifth largest industry from optimising its potential earning power and creating significant numbers of new jobs”. 

As well as the poor weather, additional challenges to tourism were posed by the very high prices charged for Visas to the UK, and also the weakness of the US Dollar compared to Sterling which affected the travel plans of many North American visitors. However, Sterling’s relative weakness against the Euro compensated to a degree.

The attached “Listing”, which compares the 2007 visitor figures with those for 2006, shows the enduring popularity of this country’s major attractions despite these set backs.

For further press information please contact:

Individual members of ALVA direct or Robin Broke, Director of ALVA (020-7222-1728).

ALVA’s  Website:  www.alva.org.uk       

Notes to Editors

Some of ALVA’s members have not participated for legal, confidential or organisational reasons.  Some of the stronger results may be due to very successful exhibitions whilst weaker results may be partially explained by temporary closures for renovation/development

ALVA was founded 18 years ago to represent to Government, the Tourism Industry, the media and the public the views and achievements of the country’s foremost visitor attractions and also to promote co-operation and the highest standards of visitor management among its members.  Currently there are 41 member organisations within ALVA, including most of the UK’s most famous museums, galleries and heritage sites and mass-market commercial leisure attractions, whose international standing makes them a magnet for overseas visitors (see www.alva.org.uk)

PRESS RELEASE - MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2007

BANK HOLIDAY TRAVEL – TRAFFIC ADVISORIES

As the Spring Bank Holiday weekend approaches, bringing with it the prospect of a sunny half-term holiday, the Association of Visitor Attractions (www.alva.org.uk) suggests that this is an ideal time to get out and about, especially as the Highways Agency has arranged for all minor motorway maintenance projects to be suspended and the cones removed by Thursday night.

Many tourist sites will be putting on extra events over the weekend and it is hoped that visitors will use the quieter routes, maybe even doing a bit of map reading, to ensure they have a good time by avoiding congested routes.  Route-finding services can assist with this. 

Although the AA and RAC are duty bound to provide an accurate assessment for motorists of the likely levels of traffic they may encounter on major roads and motorways, these warnings should not be assumed to apply across the whole road network as much of this will be as peaceful as on a normal weekend.

It is hoped that the AA, RAC and Media reporting will be responsible as over-zealous warnings are harmful to many businesses, discouraging families from making efficient use of their car and their leisure time to get out for some fun, education and entertainment. Indeed, it can be argued that the car is at its most efficient when used by a family to visit areas where public transport cannot deliver.

I am delighted that the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions continues to play its major role within the tourist industry.  Recognition of the role played by Tourism in our national economy is sometimes overlooked for other headline grabbing issues such as the decline in manufacturing, but Tourism is as vital and energetic a part of the economy as any other and deserves greater recognition for its contribution.

 A great many people are intimately involved with the whole process of tourism and developing our countryside and cities to participate in, and benefit from, incoming foreign tourism; a developing aspect is the promotion of our own country to ourselves.  As I travel around the country as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, I continuously see the potential for increased domestic tourism; in this respect I feel it important to single out "VisitBritain" as it promotes Britain both abroad and internally.

 I also note the high regard in which our Visitor Attractions industry is held internationally.  I am often asked overseas about UK tourism specialists and through ALVA a number of countries are exploring and benchmarking our excellent tourism knowledge and products.

 As in any annual review not everything goes according to plan and I know that ALVA's members have managed to trade through a difficult year, caused in part by the threat of Avian Flu and the reality of the July bombings in London.

It is always a pleasure to welcome new members and I am delighted to welcome the Palace of Westminster into what I hope will be a long and fruitful membership.  Whilst not every attraction can accede to membership of ALVA, I would point out the opportunities that ALVA is able to offer non-members to participate in its various Surveys and Schemes.

Finally I congratulate you all on another successful year of improving the quality and profile of our attractions.