Our golden era is yet to come
At the time of the Queen's accession in 1952, Britain was a fledgling destination. Revenue from overseas visitors was less than 1% of today's, and the package holiday had hardly been born. Next week's Golden Jubilee celebrations give us a chance to consider how mightily the industry has changed during those 50 years.
Today, tourism and hospitality is one of the country's main economic drivers, reflected in changing government attitudes towards the industry. We need only note the extra £20m funding given to the British Tourist Authority for its Million Visitor Campaign to recognise the extent of this change.
Five years ago, let alone 50, this public-private partnership would have been unthinkable. Without the £5m cash contribution from the industry and its £15m contribution in kind, I doubt the Government's £20m grant would have been made available.
Ministers needed to be convinced the industry was not wringing its hands in the wake of last year's terrorist attacks and foot-and-mouth - that it is serious about helping itself.
This funding strategy is unique because it lays the foundations for co-operation between government and industry. It is a partnership in which the interested parties - commercial and government - work together in the planning and execution of this campaign.
This partnership between government and industry may well be setting a precedent for another development - funding the promotion of England to the home market.
It has been a common complaint in recent years that there is no organisation to promote England at home. After much discussion with ministers and officials, we have persuaded them that there needs to be a co-ordinated marketing effort for England. A vehicle needs to be set up to put finance from commercial, central, regional and local funding into co-ordinated national marketing projects.
This will need government funding but, with the example already having been set by the BTA campaign, another public-private partnership to promote England domestically is a real possibility.
Advertising by hotel firms is at an all-time high. And with additional funding for the regional tourist boards, better co-ordination of their marketing and the introduction of an overall scheme, the impact of these promotions could be so much stronger.
But the benefits of government funding do not just accrue to tourism and hospitality. If we can attract the extra £500m target for the Million Visitor Campaign, the Government will be earning at least £100m in VAT and other taxes - five times its investment in the BTA. That in itself shows how much tourism has changed in the last 50 years.
Bob Cotton is chief executive of the British Hospitality Association
