The axe-man cometh

Posted: Tue 27 Jul, 2010 12:00 AM

If the UK Treasury has its way, almost half the current staff in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – also responsible for tourism – will be shown the door.

Britain is dealing with an emergency budget and this is the department likely to be severely affected, with 40% redundancy. According to a report in eGlobal Travel News, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has reacted with dismay to the news, having said that the cuts could stagnate growth in tourism. The travel and tourism industry supports 3.1-million jobs and attracts GBP24.3-billion in visitor exports in the UK, stated the WTTC. Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president and chief executive, WTTC, was quoted as having said that if it continued down this path, the UK would quickly lose its competitive advantage and find itself fall from the top 10 league of international destinations.