Kate Nicholls, UKHospitality CEO, said: “This is exactly the sort of support the hospitality and tourism sector needs in order to recover from the pandemic and attract people back into the capital. London has so much to offer domestic and international tourists, as brilliantly showcased by the Let’s Do London campaign, and is crucial to driving economic recovery, not just in London but beyond. Visitors to London go on to spend over £640 million in local economies outside of the capital and, prior to the pandemic, 15% of overseas visitors to London came as part of wider trip to the UK, so this benefits the whole of the country.
“Businesses in our sector remain in a fragile state, carrying crippling debt and facing a barrage of rising costs across the board. Initiatives that help drive footfall such as this will be vital to our recovery. However, remaining an attractive destination for both international and domestic visitors will become more difficult if the planned VAT rise in April goes ahead and so we are urging the Government to commit to keeping it at its current 12.5% level permanently.”
