Tourism needs real recognition from Government to survive

Further to Forbes Mutch's Opinion (Caterer, 19 April, page 15), and without wishing to underrate or criticise farmers, from a financial viewpoint, tourism is more important than farming.

During the recent foot-and-mouth crisis, the entire livestock trade could have been closed down and tourism left alone, if that had been acceptable.

But tourism is the Cinderella of industries, not even acknowledged in the name of the Government department responsible for it - the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

There are no European subsidies for tourism and no set-aside for the closed winter months. Thousands of small entrepreneurs are battling with the strong pound, poor infrastructure and little or no Government support. Many of them are sustained by famous visitor attractions, and their outlook is probably to be "wiped out" this year.

When will the Government wake up to the fact that tourism is an important industry, creating one in six of all new jobs, earning Britain millions in foreign currency and showing the rest of the world villages, hamlets, history and why the British are so jealous in the defence of this green and pleasant land?

Surely it is time to bring this industry to full recognition, showing support not just now, because of the current emergency, but from here on in. Let's have a full-blown department, or at least be part of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Chris Chapman, Chairman, HCIMA Devon & Cornwall Branch.

I am astounded that, as an industry, we do not have one body that has the strength of the National Farmers Union.

It was reported that the tourism industry contributes four times the amount to the Exchequer that the farming industry does, and yet we can get little more than a DTI loan to assist short-term at 3% above base rate, while a sheep dealer, who has allegedly spread foot-and-mouth around the country, has been paid £1.3m in compensation.

I appreciate the work of the ETC, BTA, local tourist boards and all the professional associations, and I am sure they will all shout that they do represent the industry, but these are all individual organisations.

Surely one consolidated organisation, such as the National Farmers Union, with members from every part of the tourism industry, would make the Government sit up, listen and maybe even introduce a specific Secretary of State just for tourism.

Nigel Maud, Managing director, Lea Manor hotel & restaurant, Albrighton, Shropshire.

We run a successful 18-month-old hotel and restaurant business in the heart of Devon. A fortnight ago our chef, Richard Hunt, won the Nestlé Chef of the Year competition, beating 300 other contestants. Last week, we had the best week's turnover since we opened, and business was up over the bank holiday weekend by 50%.

We have a positive story to tell - an ambitious project which continues to build, crisis or no crisis.

Michelle Stephenson, Browns, Tavistock, Devon.

Has anyone thought about the implications of losing out on pigswill collection?

We as an industry must produce many thousands of tonnes of pigswill a day.

The Government has decided to stop the practice of pigswill collection, even if the merchant has conformed to all of the latest rules and regulations.

What does everyone do with their waste food?

Can anyone help solve this problem? Is there an incinerator manufacturer or an alternative method of pigswill disposal?

Colin Bryan, Managing Director, Drayton Manor Park Catering, Drayton Manor.

The dreary, unimaginative advertisements for visiting the countryside, of the sort we have seen splashed over whole pages in newspapers, are another indication of the Government's half-hearted response to the tourism crisis.

Nor does it encourage confidence when tourism minister Janet Anderson is seen supping a pint of beer in the Lake District.

To whom does the image appeal of women drinking pints of beer in a garden on an obviously not very pleasant day?

Roy Hayter, Lloyds hotel, Llanidloes, Powys.

I am in the unenviable position of being a partner in a pub-restaurant just two miles from Wakehurst Place and Ardingly show grounds in West Sussex.

And yes, as new licensees, we are bleeding profusely from this crisis - to the count of £1,000 per week, which we cannot sustain for much longer.

The farmers are getting compensation, but we have yet to be offered anything official from the Government, and the breweries will not help us.

I think all pubs and restaurants should be compensated within a radius of 10 miles of any attraction that has been closed since the outbreak, and I think this should come fast.

Pauline Hayfield, by e-mail.

I was interested to read Martin Cummings's views about compensation packages for hoteliers hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis (Caterer, 19 April, page 4).

While I agree that there is a risk that badly run businesses could be "bailed out", and more importantly that the Government's only source of revenue is the taxpayer, just who does Martin think will pay for yet another layer of bureaucratic ineffectiveness if a Department for Rural Affairs were to be created?

Jeremy Rata, Managing Director, Devonshire Arms Country House hotel, Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire.

Training funding faces new crisis

Further to Forbes Mutch's Opinion (Caterer, 19 April, page 15), more than 40,000 young people benefited from hospitality and catering training on modern apprenticeship programmes in the last financial year.

Unfortunately, new funding mechanisms seriously disadvantage providers of hospitality and catering training, and this demonstrates the Government's lack of understanding of our industry.

For example, training an electrician takes four years, but training a chef to high skills (NVQ level 3 or old 706/3 equivalent) apparently takes just 24 months. The Government will pay £9,000 to train a welder, but just £4,000 to train a chef.

The problems faced by the modern apprenticeship training providers are identical to those faced by the colleges over the past decade. If there is insufficient funding, then either the quality of the courses will be reduced or they will be stopped.

If you are one of the 30,000 employers in our industry who currently has one of your young staff on a modern apprenticeship programme, lobby your local MP to ensure that the service sector receives equality of funding with the manufacturing sector.

Years of Government under-funding contributed to the decline of our manufacturing industry. Make sure that similar funding mistakes do not occur in the expanding and buoyant hospitality sector.

John Hyde, Chief Executive, Hospitality Plus, by e-mail.

Short-sighted employers lose out on best workers

I keep reading about changes in the hospitality industry, but I feel that in the UK you are not allowed to escape from one niche to another without a great deal of heartache.

I have managed some of the largest multisite entertainment and leisure complexes in the world, including the largest hotel in Europe, the largest nightclub and cabaret complex in the south of Spain, and a 45,000sq ft indoor entertainment centre in British Columbia. Yet I have been unemployed for exactly one year today.

I have used more than 35 different agencies and Web sites to try and find work, and have sent out just over 3,450 résumés for jobs, but, because I have worked in the leisure industry, the hotel industry doesn't want to know - and, because I have managed hotels, the leisure industry doesn't want to know either.

Will we ever get away from the isolated thinking in this country that you are only good at one discipline?

Perhaps you have to be French to succeed or lose lots of money to be appreciated.

Gordon Barker, Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire.