Tourism Alliance urges government rethink on Air Passenger Duty
The Tourism Alliance has called on the government to address inconsistencies in Air Passenger Duty (APD) policy across the UK, to avoid “distorting the tourism market.”
Last week’s publication of the Smith Settlement for Scotland – outlining which additional powers should be devolved to Scotland in the wake of the recent referendum – revealed that responsibility for setting APD will soon fall to the Scottish Parliament. Holyrood has previously stated that it will immediately halve this tax and look to abolish it in the future.
The UK government in Westminster has recently made concessions on APD, but the tourism industry is warning that the proposed Scottish cuts need to replicated across English and Welsh airports to avoid distorting the tourism market and rendering the recently announced £10m fund to attract overseas visitors to Northern England useless.
The Tourism Alliance cites the example of 2011 when a similar situation arose across the Irish Sea. When the Irish government reduced APD, residents from Northern Ireland crossed the border to get cheaper flights out of Dublin. This threatened the viability of many routes into Belfast and caused the UK government to lower APD for Northern Ireland to protect the Northern Ireland tourism economy from serious losses.
“It would be perverse for the government to allocate £10m to the new Northern Fund with the aim of bringing more international tourists to Northern England, when the devolution of APD to the Scottish Parliament makes Northern England’s airports uncompetitive and they have to close down international routes,” said Tourism Alliance chair Ufi Ibrahim.
“The tourism industry has been at the forefront of the UK’s economic recovery, having created a third of all new jobs over the last three years. The reason that the Scottish Parliament is lowering APD is because it recognises the benefits that the industry delivers. If we are to provide those benefits throughout the UK, APD must be the same throughout the UK.”
Budget 2014: Tourism industry toasts aviation tax reform
Report: APD does 'more harm than good'
Airlines urge chancellor to scrap APD
Is the government seeing the light over APD?
Air Passenger Duty and aviation capacity
Wellness real estate market booming – forecast to reach $913bn by 2028, reports GWI
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Designing an eco hotel for the Galapagos Islands that allowed the stunning natural surroundings to take centre stage while minimising its impact on the land presented its own unique set of challenges, Ecuadorian architect Humberto Plaza tells Kathryn Hudson
Ben Channon has written Happy by Design, a new book about how architecture affects our mental health. He explains how we can all be happier at home