By kind permission of Excel London Chief Executive Kevin
Murphy, we reproduce his article which originally appeared in City AM
newspaper, 30 October.
David Cameron recently said that, in
the global battle to win jobs and contracts, he believes in leading from
the front. It’s fighting talk but, when it comes to winning work for
our major export businesses, Cameron and his ministerial troops are
regularly absent without leave.
Tourism, and that includes
business tourism, is a vital export business and brought £125bn into the
UK last year. The business of bringing people to Britain to meet, trade
and relax creates more jobs and contributes more to the economy than
agriculture. So it is time tourism gained the attention and recognition
that agriculture has had for decades.
Getting ministerial support
for an event or a proposal is like pulling teeth. Excel London recently
secured a major medical conference, worth £130m to the UK economy, but
we’ll struggle to persuade a minister to poke his head round the door
when our guests arrive.
We have a great city in London which we
sell to the world as a vibrant cosmopolitan venue for meeting, working
and investing. But colleagues putting together a bid for an
international conference will have to beg for a junior ministerial aide
to type out a supportive quote or get their boss to turn up for a five
minute appearance at a launch. In Paris, ministers host gala receptions
at the Louvre, fast track visitors through immigration control at the
airport and lay on dedicated transport to whisk people to their venues.
I’m
not calling for subsidies. All we need is recognition for our sector,
and the investment of a little more ministerial time and attention to
unlocking the bureaucratic barriers that stand in our way.
Over-zealous
visa regulations are blocking some of the biggest spending potential
tourists, currently the Chinese, from reaching our shores. The French
and German authorities have spotted this and acted quickly to change
their rules. The British government needs to get a move on or it risks
missing a massive share of an emerging market.
Business tourism
is the gift that keeps on giving. When business people visit the UK to
work, they are far more likely to return with their families to spend
more money. We don’t only need to fly our products around the world to
restore our nation’s balance of payments. We also need to be a little
more welcoming and hospitable when the world flies in to visit us.
Britain
is good at hosting events. The Olympics and Paralympics showed that we
can lead the world, and my own business was proud to be part of that
success. We contributed £1.8bn to the London economy last year and
employment for thousands. But the government needs to wake up and smell
the complementary coffee we serve while creating wealth and jobs for
Britain.
David Cameron talks about flying to ica, Indonesia,
the Gulf and China in the battle for British jobs. But he mustn’t forget
the vital work of promoting London as a great place to do business. It
would be nice if the government would bundle ministers out of Whitehall,
and onto the front-line in the global battle to win jobs.
Any comments? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
