Richard Toomer taken over as Executive Director of the Tourism Alliance

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The Tourism Alliance has introduced that Richard Toomer has taken over as Executive Director of the organisation following the retirement of Kurt Janson OBE. The Tourism Alliance is the umbrella commerce affiliation representing greater than 65 organisations in each half of the tourism trade, together with inbound, outbound and the home sector. The Alliance’s most important roles are to supply a unified tourism trade view to authorities, parliament, and different stakeholders, and to supply a discussion board for coverage debate and dialogue amongst our members.

Richard will work with the board and govt, headed by Chairman Tom Jenkins of ETOA. His process will probably be to make sure that policymakers and the tourism trade proceed to totally perceive one another’s priorities and considerations for his or her joint profit. Richard joins the Alliance from the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) the place he was Head of External Affairs. He additionally has expertise working in parliament and for the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) in coverage and communications roles.

Tom Jenkins, Tourism Alliance Chairman, mentioned: “Kurt has been with us for 17 years. In that point, he has constructed up the organisation right into a physique of 60 members representing 200,000 companies in each space of this huge sector. It is courtesy of Kurt that Richard takes over a robust Alliance. And this power is important.

“The industry is facing numerous problems. Recruitment is a major difficulty across the sector. Energy costs are threatening the viability of many hospitality businesses, just as consumers are facing a cost-of-living crisis. For inbound tourism, the prospect of a weak pound is helpful, but restrictions on school groups coming from Europe deprive the UK of vital export earnings. The UK visa offering is not internationally competitive, both in price and bureaucratic burden. And after the reversal of the Chancellor’s VAT decision, high-value customers are now going to be shopping elsewhere.  Richard has full in-tray; to tackle it, courtesy of Kurt, he has the backing of the whole tourism sector.”

Kurt Janson OBE mentioned: “Tourism is a really giant and really numerous part of the UK economic system that’s typically not absolutely understood and recognised in authorities coverage. The significance of the Alliance in bringing collectively all the elements of this extremely profitable trade to co-ordinate points and messaging to authorities was highlighted throughout the Covid pandemic when tourism was the first trade to be hit and the final to get well. Government assist was important to the survival of many companies.

“In standing down, I know that our tourism industry is well positioned to work with government to provide much needed economic growth and I wish Richard all the best in taking forward this work.” Richard Toomer mentioned: “I’m wanting ahead to getting caught into the tourism coverage agenda and guaranteeing our members’ voices are heard in authorities and past.

“There are huge policy challenges for the sector especially around energy costs and the associated cost-of-living crisis which will affect all companies in tourism directly but will also have an effect on the public’s ability and willingness to travel for leisure in the coming months. “There are also ongoing policy debates on issues such as mandatory registration of short-term holiday rental accommodation and proposed changes to Destination Management Organisations. These and so many other issues are both exciting and important in ensuring that the UK tourism industry continues to drive economic growth, prosperity and levelling-up right across the country.”

The submit Richard Toomer taken over as Executive Director of the Tourism Alliance appeared first on Travel Daily.