Deirdre Wells OBE, CEO of Go To Places has commented on today’s Budget:
“Our world class visitor economy has been hit the hardest by the global pandemic so I am glad to see several measures in today’s Budget that will help the industry to recover.
“The destinations that we manage and advise will welcome the new funding to help improve our transport infrastructure and safeguard our cultural and heritage infrastructure, support for SMEs to scale up and funding to support the major events planned for 2022.
“We particularly welcome the proposed reduction in business rates over the next five years and the new one year 50% business rates discount for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors as long as it includes those businesses that have so far been exempt from help with business rates such as coach and tour operators, event organisers and language schools all of which are so vital to the success of both domestic and inbound tourism.”