Bryant vows to boost arts and culture tourism

The government will seek to improve transport links to encourage tourists to visit arts and culture destinations throughout the UK, Arts Minister Chris Bryant has said.

Speaking at the Tourism Policy Conference staged by the Tourism Alliance yesterday (26 November), Bryant said he wants to increase the annual number of overseas visitors to the UK to 50 million a year by 2030 – a 25% increase on current levels.

He cited examples including the UK’s “extraordinary” theatre scene, “phenomenal” museums and galleries, as well as music gigs and heritage, as reasons why people visit.

“The truth is that when it comes to tourism, we’ve got it all – and we’ve got it now,” Bryant said.

“So my ambition is to get far more people to visit us and to spend more when they’re here. We can only do that if we enable or encourage visitors beyond London and the South East.

“We all know that London is great – one of the best cities in the world. But too many visitors only go to London.

“I want Manchester to rival [Los Angeles]. I want Newcastle to be a place where you can see world-class art, dine in a top restaurant, and explore the beautiful surrounding countryside of Northumberland.

“We need to complement London and Edinburgh with stronger regional destinations – where people visit in their own right and stay and spend money because they know about the full range of attractions at those destinations.

“Yes, the heritage, but also the arts, the music, the pubs and the restaurants.”

‘Holistic approach’

Bryant said that as part of government efforts to grow the economy, he wants “tourism to be at the top table”.

He said a “holistic approach to tourism” will involve looking at every element, from a visitor’s arrival in the country to buying a ticket for an event or catching a train.

“First, I defy anyone arriving at Gatwick Airport to work out which is the right train to catch to get swiftly to central London. It’s impossible.

“I’ve tried many times. Let alone do it with the right ticket before the train leaves the platform. Let’s get that sorted so that people’s first experience of the UK isn’t a sense of chaotic confusion.

“And secondly, why on earth is it so difficult to get to Stratford upon Avon?

“Shakespeare is one of our icons. His birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s house are magnets for tourists, as is the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. Yet the train service to Stratford is shockingly terrible. That’s something we need to put right.”

As part of efforts to boost visitor numbers, the government has set up a Visitor Economy Advisory Council to design and deliver a growth strategy.