New Minister for UK Toursim

Barbara Follett MP has been appointed as the new Minister for Culture, the Creative Industries and Tourism.

Follett, 65, has been the MP for Stevenage in Hertfordshire since 1997 and was previously Work and Pensions Minister.

She replaces Margaret Hodge, who is leaving for personal reasons.

Grant Hearn, chief executive of budget hotel chain Travelodge, said it was "remarkable" that the Government's eighth tourism chief in the last 10 years has been appointed to the role without any apparent experience in the industry.

UKinbound chief executive Mary Rance said: "We welcome Barbara Follett MP to her new role and look forward to working with her to ensure that the views of tourism businesses are finally heard by Government.

"Inbound tourism generates £18 billion a year in export earnings but its value and importance are often ignored within Whitehall.

"The Home Office, the Treasury and even DCMS, through its budget cuts of VisitBritain, have continued to hinder export tourism but we hope that the new Tourism Minister will be an effective advocate of the industry and will help remove some of the barriers placed in its way by Government."

UKinbound said it would continue to lobby Government on the high level of taxes levied against overseas visitors who are charged, on average, £207 per person in visas, taxes and other Government charges.

"This is much higher than our European counterparts, and this hugely damaging to the UK's ability to compete as a destination." By Bev Fearis Travel Mole website.

Published: 7.10.2008