Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
well as generating extra tax revenue for the government.
APD was doubled on 1 February 2007 and has proved
very controversial, since many people consider that
it is more concerned with increasing tax revenues for
the government than actually infl uencing people's air
travel habits.
cities and activity holidays in countryside areas of the
UK. Two travel and tourism 'products' that have had a
major infl uence on developments in recent years have
been holiday camps and package holidays.
Holiday camps
The fi rst purpose-built holiday camp was opened by
Billy Butlin in Skegness in 1936. Holiday camps worked
on the simple principal that if the children were happy
on holiday then the parents would be happy as well.
To achieve this, holiday camps provided entertainment
and activities for both parents and children at low,
all-inclusive prices, with the added bonus of a child-
minding service to allow parents to enjoy themselves.
Butlin's and Warners became market leaders in this type
of UK holiday, which still fl ourishes in many resort areas
today. The same formula has been used by Center
Parcs at its UK holiday villages, aimed at a different
sector of the market.
Future of Air Transport White Paper
Aviation is a major UK industry, carrying more than 200
million passengers per year. The government expects
this number to double by 2020 and has outlined
plans for airport expansion to deal with this growth.
The Future of Air Transport White Paper published in
November 2004 gives details of these plans, which
include growth at a number of airports, including
Stansted, Birmingham and Newcastle.
Development of UK tourism strategies
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
is responsible for setting plans (or strategies) for the
future of UK tourism. It sets the agenda for tourism,
supports the sector to improve what it has to offer,
provides funding and helps to promote a positive
image of Britain abroad. In 1999, it published the
national tourism strategy Tomorrow's Tourism, which
was concerned with four main areas - the framework for
UK tourism, achieving quality, developing sustainable
tourism and monitoring progress. This was updated in
July 2004 when DCMS launched Tomorrow's Tourism
Today, an action plan setting out the responsibilities of
public and private sector organisations in the key areas
of marketing, quality, skills and data collection.
Weblink
Check out this website for the latest
information on the work of DCMS in UK
tourism.
www.culture.gov.uk
Product development
Holidays have changed beyond all recognition over the
last 50 years. Trips abroad have changed from being
available only to the privileged few to being within
the grasp of most people in the UK today. Closer to
home, we have seen a growth in short breaks to British
Center Parcs
