Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to improve the accessibility of tourist sites to wheelchair users and those with mobility impairments.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The recently published Tourism Sector Deal sets out Government’s support for improving tourism for visitors with accessibility requirements. Working with VisitBritain, we aim to improve the sharing of good practice across the sector, continue to provide excellent business support and promote our accessible tourism product.
Additionally, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work has appointed a number of Sector Champions including Champions for Art and Culture, Hotels, Tourism and Countryside and Heritage. These champions use their influential status as leaders within their sectors to drive improvements to the accessibility and quality of services and facilities for disabled people. They also share good practice both widely within their sectors and with others.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to improve the tourism and hospitality industry's productivity.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
With both Government and industry working together, the recently published Tourism Sector Deal has a focus on increasing the sectors productivity through several means, including:
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to address the decline in inbound tourists' spending in 2018.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
2017 was a record breaking year for inbound visits and spend. 2018 saw the second highest figures on record. We want tourism to continue to thrive and will continue to work closely with the tourism sector to ensure this happens as we leave the EU.
The recently published Tourism Sector Deal demonstrates that both Government and industry are committed to growing our tourism sector, through improving workforce skills, improving our international offer for disabled visitors, developing the concept of Tourism Zones to provide targeted support for specific areas and increasing investment in accommodation across the country.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address fraudulent reviews on travel and tourism websites such as TripAdvisor.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Minister for the Arts, Heritage and Tourism met with TripAdvisor in July 2018. DCMS Tourism officials have also held a number of meetings with TripAdvisor to discuss a range of issues.
Companies that post fake reviews are breaking consumer law. In the past the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has taken enforcement action against a UK marketing company that wrote fake online reviews for small businesses. It has also taken enforcement action against a number of review sites to improve their systems and practices. The CMA continues to monitor the sector closely and will consider further enforcement work if necessary.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what, if any, recent progress they have made on agreeing a tourism sector deal since their announcement to enter negotiations; whether such a deal is likely to come into effect; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The UK Government is pleased that the formal negotiations have been announced for the Tourism Sector Deal. We are clear, however, that for the proposals to go ahead the sector must provide firm commitments on their side which can be matched by Government. We will continue to work closely with the industry to further develop proposals.