Ministering to our need for Government representation

Is a minister of state with sole responsibility for tourism sufficient, or should tourism have a stand-alone ministry with a secretary of state?

And should that person remain in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, or move to the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI)? This week, Caterer readers tell us what they want from a tourism minister:

David and Janet Day, Drovers Arms, Llandrindod Wells, Powys

We have felt for 14 years that our industry is not properly recognised due to the absence of a minister.

If the only thing that comes out of this foot-and-mouth mess is a minister for tourism, then some good will have been done. We think the DTI is the correct area for the minister.

Phil Hooper, marketing and communications director, Sodexho

I would welcome a minister of tourism and hospitality. A minister would need to cover employment issues, as our industry is such a large employer and we have an undervalued workforce which needs support.

Procter Naylor, chairman, Wolsey Lodges

What would a secretary of state as tourism minister actually do? Unless he had access to a substantially larger budget he would just interfere even more with the tourist boards. And would he have responsibility for Scotland and Wales?

The first priority remains a sensible structure with an arm's-length authority responsible for England, Scotland and Wales.

The second requirement is for tourism to be in the DTI, maybe with a junior minister, but with a powerful secretary of state who is prepared to take an interest when necessary.

Tourism should definitely not be in a department of rural affairs. Tourism always loses out when it is bundled in with conservation or culture.

Sandy Montgomery, operations director, International Study Centre, Queen's University (Canada), Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex, and chairman of Sussex Top Attraction, an association of 75 visitor attractions

I think it makes absolute sense that tourism should move into the portfolio of Trade & Industry, as the industry is one of the biggest earners and employers in the UK.

The Government was finally forced to admit this publicly through the foot-and-mouth crisis. Having done that, it promptly awarded £12m to the British Tourist Authority to help promote the overseas tourist market, but ignored the home market and offered no financial support to the English Tourism Council and regional tourist boards.

If tourism had been represented by the DTI, with proper input from our industry, I suspect there would have been far stronger support, in particular from those most affected in the rural areas.

Julie and Paul Evans, Temple Sowerby House hotel, Penrith, Cumbria

Tourism is worth too much to this country to allow this issue to be fudged any longer. It should be recognised for what it is: a huge revenue earner, a huge employer and frequently the face of the country overseas. Tourism should therefore have its own minister within the DTI.

Roy Tutty, chief executive, Wyndham International

The industry has used the unfortunate situation of the farmers to its advantage by raising the issue of how much hospitality, leisure and tourism are worth to the local, regional and national economies, and their impact on community employment.

However, in a period of joined-up government and a General Election, we have to have joined-up industry, and that, alas, is where we have still so much more to do, despite the excellent work of many individuals and our multitude of professional and industry organisations.

There is a tide turning in our favour, which has to be fully exploited now.

David Wood, chief executive, HCIMA

If there is a silver lining to the foot-and-mouth crisis, it must be the fact that it has brought the tourism industry to the fore, and irrefutably demonstrated its importance to the nation's economy.

The signal to the next Government is clear: we need, and merit, a minister with sole responsibility for tourism.

We cannot afford to allow the tourism industry to fall back into the shadows once foot-and-mouth is over.

Bill Toner, chief executive, Aramark

The culling that we've seen in the media morning, noon and night has done nothing to help our cause. We need someone with teeth, who can represent our interests and help overcome any negative images.

Duncan Palmer, general manager, the Connaught, London

A minister of state for tourism would help to unleash potential for future growth, and I would applaud such an appointment.

Jonathan Raggett, managing director UK, Red Carnation Hotels

I would welcome the highest presence we can get for tourism. I saw Janet Anderson in New York when she was beating the drum and telling people we were open for business. She came across well.

But we still need more presence. In the ideal world tourism would be represented in a stand-alone ministry.