Demand for travel in the UK is undoubtedly increasing as people feel more confident to travel in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to research, more than seven million people were planning to go away on an overnight trip over the Easter weekend.
A survey carried out by Visit England found that 7.4 million Brits were planning an overnight trip in the UK over the long Easter weekend which was expected to create a £1.8 billion boost to the economy.
In what will be welcome news to the travel industry, the figures were on a level with pre-pandemic travel numbers in 2019.
With more Bank Holiday weekends on the horizon, it looks like there are more chances for the tourism firms to capitalise on the pent-up demand for British holidaymakers.
However, with the removal of all remaining legal restrictions on international travel being lifted, homegrown businesses will have to compete with foreign destinations to tempt British holidaymakers.
Added to this, much of the Government support in place for the tourism sector has been wound down as the pandemic has eased.
Whether the boom in British tourism continues remains to be seen as the cost-of-living crisis begins to bite, which may affect the demand for holidays as households reassess their finances.
So, what support is still out there to help the tourism industry capitalise on this chance to bounce back from the pandemic in this precarious situation?
Business rates relief
The government will continue to support retail, hospitality and leisure, all of which contribute massively to the tourism sector, in 2022-23 through the introduction of a temporary 50 per cent business rate discount for eligible properties. This is capped at a maximum of £110,000.
Help for museums
The Museums and Art Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief was due to end in March 2022 but has been extended for two extra years and will run until 31 March 2024.
The relief is designed to help organisations create and take public exhibitions on tour by helping them to recover some of their production costs.
The Arts Council has set up a Museums and Art Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief Support Service to make sure more organisations benefit from the relief. More details on this service can be found here.
Get exploring by train
The Government and the rail industry have launched the UK’s biggest ever rail sale, slashing the prices of train tickets in a bid to boost tourism across the UK.
Travellers are being urged to take advantage of the sale, which runs on journeys from 25 April to 27 May.
As well as connecting people across the country, it is hoped the move will boost the tourism industry by making travel more affordable, so people have the chance to get out and explore the country.
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