This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/business/7048283.stm

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
UK tourism 'may lose up to £2bn' UK sees summer tourists 'slump'
(about 2 hours later)
The UK tourist industry could lose about £2bn if the government does not invest more money around the 2012 Olympics, a tourism body is to warn. The number of overseas visitors to the UK fell 13% in August year-on-year, figures are expected to show, a tourism body has said.
VisitBritain chairman Christopher Rodrigues is set to address a tourism event on Wednesday and will ask for "modest funding" for the sector. VisitBritain said: "Competition in the tourist industry has been made worse by the relative strength of the pound."
The move comes before figures which are expected to show a 13% year-on-year drop in tourists to the UK in August. Poor August weather has also been previously cited to explain the drop.
Poor summer weather and the high value of the pound deterred visitors. At the same time, VisitBritain is warning that the UK tourist industry could lose about £2bn if the government does not invest more money.
According to data supplied to VisitBritain and Visit London by Oxford Economics, Britain could gain a further £2.1bn from tourism associated with the 2012 Olympics.
VisitBritain chairman Christopher Rodrigues is set to address a tourism event on Wednesday and will ask for more funding.
'Tourism deficit''Tourism deficit'
VisitBritain is awaiting to hear from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on its funding over the next three years.VisitBritain is awaiting to hear from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on its funding over the next three years.
It will say it has asked for a modest sum to "combat increased competition for tourism spend from around the world, and specific funding to secure the tourism benefits of hosting the 2012 games". In a keynote address at the Annual National Conference of Visitor Attractions, the organisation will say it has asked for a modest sum to "combat increased competition for tourism spend from around the world, and specific funding to secure the tourism benefits of hosting the 2012 games".
Mr Rodrigues will argues that the organisation, which is charged with promoting Britain, has had its funding frozen for 12 years and that during that time the "tourism deficit" has hit more than £18bn. Mr Rodrigues will argues that the organisation, which is charged with promoting Britain, has had its funding frozen for 12 years and that during that time, the "tourism deficit" has hit more than £18bn.
"Attracting more visitors to Britain depends on sustained marketing programmes in our core markets as well as investment to open up the new growth markets of Asia and India," Mr Rodrigues will say."Attracting more visitors to Britain depends on sustained marketing programmes in our core markets as well as investment to open up the new growth markets of Asia and India," Mr Rodrigues will say.