Department for Culture Media and Sport
tourism and the 2012 olympic & paralympic games
The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games provide the UK's tourism industry with its biggest opportunity in recent years.
DCMS has now launched "Winning: A Tourism Strategy for 2012 and Beyond", following the widest-ever consultation of the tourism sector. The strategy was launched on 17 September 2007 by Secretary of State, James Purnell, and the Minister for Tourism, Margaret Hodge. "Winning" has been developed in full partnership with VisitBritain and Visit London.
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A high proportion of the economic benefits of the Games will come from tourism. Our latest research forecasts that additional tourist turnover over 2007-17 is likely to be in a range up to £2.9 billion – with £2.1 billion the central estimate. £1.85 billion of this central estimate will be in London, and we are projecting the tourism gains for the rest of the UK at between £0.3 and £0.7 billion. This Strategy is a statement of intent on the parts of the Government and the industry..
We will be working together to make the very most of the 2012 opportunity for tourism. And it is a coherent package of new work.
The Strategy’s action plan for the six years between 2007 and 2013 includes:
- the framework under which we, our partners VisitBritain and Visit London, and the industry will market the UK at home and overseas
- a cross-UK public/private sector marketing campaign starting at the Beijing handover, with all 180,000 UK tourism businesses given the chance to get involved
- our plans to make the most of the Cultural Olympiad right across the nation
- new initiatives in product quality (the hotel “star” schemes): with a new £1.6 million for London, and national work which will benefit the whole of the UK
- skills improvement through the National Skills Strategies for the sector, with particular emphasis on accelerating take up of the new UK Skills Passport and reforming qualifications
- and plans for real changes in the industry’s response to disability issues.
We sent 5000 copies of a detailed consultation document to businesses, and the public sector at all levels, up to November 2006 - the widest exercise of this nature that the Government had ever carried out in tourism – and we’ve made every effort to ensure that the industry’s aspirations are fully reflected in the Strategy.
The DCMS Ministerial Advisory Group helped shape the Strategy and will stay together to help guide implementation. It includes most of those who matter in UK tourism.
For example:
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