Image: Chris Bryant (CC BY 3.0 UK Parliament)
Sir Chris Bryant MP said the new council will consist of an inclusive membership to “represent the whole visitor economy”
Tourism minister Sir Chris Bryant MP has vowed to increase overseas tourism to the likes of the country’s museums and heritage attractions.
Bryant gave the speech at the Tourism Alliance Conference on Tuesday, in which he revealed plans to boost overseas visitors to 50 million annually.
According to Statista, overseas residents made 38 million visits to the UK in 2023, a figure which has grown every year post-pandemic.
Find more statistics at Statista
Bryant said: “Of course we want to boast of our great heritage. But we can’t rest on our laurels. Because the danger is that foreign visitors who have the world to choose from could all too easily say: “The UK never changes. It’ll still be there next year. Let’s go somewhere else this time.””
“But we want people to think the UK’s the place to go this year, today, now. And when they get here we want them to have such a fabulous time that they come again and again.”
Bryant announced a new Visitor Economy Advisory Council, to be made up of tourism and hospitality experts.
He said the group would consist of “inclusive membership to represent the whole visitor economy and visitor journey”, that it would strive for “immediate results”, and would be “accountable and to respond to the evolving needs of the sector.”
Bryant said the UK’s offer includes “a collection that includes works by Titian, Raphael, Monet, Van Gogh and Goya entirely for free” and “the greatest collection of major ancient Roman, Assyrian and Egyptian artefacts” at the British Museum”.
But, he qualified, a boost in overseas visitors would tourists to travel to all parts of the UK, not just London and the South East.
Bryant also championed stately homes, including Blenheim, Chatsworth, Petworth, Burleigh.
“Too many of my predecessors have seen tourism as a nice thing to have and not a priority. I don’t,” he said.
“I am brimming with optimism for the future of the UK’s visitor economy and the positive changes on the horizon.”
