Former tourism minister John Penrose calls for change in package travel rules
Former tourism minister John Penrose is calling for changes to package travel rules to allow British tourism destinations to market themselves more effectively.
The European Commission is currently studying changes to the Package Travel Directive and is due to publish proposals in the spring.
At the moment, travel agents need an expensive bond, and local tourism attractions are legally barred from marketing themselves jointly without such a bond.
Penrose, MP for the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare, has written to Jo Swinson, the minister responsible for Britain's approach to the European Directive, calling on her to simplify the rules so that most British domestic tourism trips would be exempt.
He said: "These EU rules are a massive handbrake on British tourism destinations marketing themselves properly. And they add costs to a British weekend away which, with money so tight at the moment, isn't great either. Getting an exemption would be a huge help, and would liberate British resorts from Whitby to Weston-super-Mare, which is why I've asked the minister to look at the idea closely."
Read the copy of Penrose's letter here >> ](http://johnpenrose.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2015:liberate-british-tourism-resorts-says-former-tourism-minister&catid=54:tourism&Itemid=117)
[Tourism contributed nearly £19b towards British economy in 2012 >> ](http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/30/11/2012/346419/Tourism-contributed-nearly-16319b-towards-British-economy-in.htm)
By Kerstin Kühn
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