Tourism Alliance Weekly Update – 18 April 2026

In this newsletter:

• WESTMINSTER & PARLIAMENT
• IRAN CONFLICT: FOOD SUPPLY RISK
• BUSINESS COSTS: NIC & BUSINESS RATES
• WORKFORCE: IMMIGRATION SCHEME UPDATES
• FORWARD LOOK
• MEMBER EVENTS
• INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE

From Eddy Leviten, Executive Director

Word of the week = forthcoming. As in, the Visitor Economy Growth Strategy is ‘forthcoming’, meaning imminent or soon. We will update you as soon as we know (in other words, our news about the forthcoming strategy will be forthcoming).

Tourism Alliance Strategy and Priorities 2026–2029. I sent an email on 8th April to all Members inviting responses and proposals for attendees on the new working groups. Please let me know if you want to discuss or follow up.

The CMS Select Committee Inquiry call for views is under way and we are drafting the TA response. Plenty of opportunity to cover a range of issues affecting members and our sector, as well as promoting positive policy initiatives to stimulate growth and support tourism.

Iran Crisis member polling wave 3 is now out. Please do respond as well as circulating more widely across your memberships. Iran Crisis: Wave 3 Impact Poll | Tourism Alliance Members | 16th April 2026 – Fill in form

The Overnight Visitor Levy still looms large. FT reporting that this will be in the King’s Speech: ‘A bill will give mayoral strategic authorities the power to create local overnight visitor levies, charged as a percentage of the cost of an overnight stay at hotels, and bed and breakfast establishments.’ We continue to engage across the political landscape on this issue, representing members’ views.

Eddy

WESTMINSTER & PARLIAMENT

CMS Committee Tourism Inquiry Launched
As we noted in Breaking News last week, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee has launched a new inquiry into the future of the UK’s tourism industry, covering both domestic and international tourism. The inquiry will explore how the UK promotes itself overseas, the role of culture and heritage in attracting visitors, and how the UK competes with other destinations.

The Committee is inviting written submissions. The deadline is Monday 18 May 2026. The TA is drafting a response and will circulate it to members next week for comment before submission. We will also convene a member call to discuss priorities across the sector.

The timing of this inquiry is significant — it falls alongside the anticipated Visitor Economy Growth Strategy and the ongoing England OVL process. This is an important opportunity for the sector to speak with a unified voice.

Parliament Returns — 13 April 2026
Parliament returned from the Easter recess on Monday 13 April 2026. The TA’s monitoring of debates, written questions and committee proceedings has resumed in full. Several items of direct relevance to the visitor economy emerged in the first days back, covered in the sections below.

CMS Oral Questions — 16 April 2026
CMS Oral Questions took place on Thursday 16 April at 9.30 am. Greg Smith MP (Conservative, Mid Buckinghamshire) asked the Secretary of State what steps her Department is taking to support the tourism sector (Question 12 on the order paper). In response to this, and to a question from Nigel Huddleston MP, Shadow Secretary of State on the impact of regulation and taxes on hospitality and tourism, Lisa Nandy responded by stating that:
• She is “proud of our tourism industry”, which is “second to none”
• “tourism industry is centre of attention with the growth strategy”

Other questions of visitor economy relevance on the order paper included UEFA Euro 2028 host community benefits (Q1), Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games (Q2), and FIFA World Cup fan support (Q7) — the latter particularly timely given the food supply concerns reported in this edition. Reports to follow.

Visitor Economy Growth Strategy Confirmed as ‘Forthcoming’
In a Written Answer published on 14 April, Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock MP confirmed on the Hansard record that the Visitor Economy Growth Strategy is forthcoming. Responding to Sir Geoffrey Cox MP (Conservative, Torridge and Tavistock) on holiday accommodation in Devon, the Minister stated:

“The forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy will cement these measures, providing a long-term plan to increase visitor flows, maximise sector value, and deliver sustainable growth for our coastal and rural communities.”

— Stephanie Peacock MP, Written Answer 124075, 14 April 2026

The Minister also referenced the Starring GREAT Britain campaign, using the UK’s film and television heritage to drive international visitors into rural and coastal destinations. This is the first on-the-record Ministerial confirmation in Parliament that the Strategy is forthcoming. The TA will continue to engage with DCMS and will report when a publication date is announced.

IRAN CONFLICT: FOOD SUPPLY RISK

Government Contingency Planning for CO₂ and Food Shortages
A secret Government assessment — codenamed Exercise Turnstone and coordinated through Cobra — has modelled a worst-case scenario in which the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked into June 2026 with no lasting peace deal. According to The Times (16 April), the assessment warns that CO₂ supplies could fall to as low as 18% of current levels, with farming and hospitality identified as among the first sectors to be affected.

CO₂ is critical to food preservation, draught beer, packaged meat, chilled supply chains and baked goods. Government lawyers are preparing advice on invoking the Civil Contingencies Act; the Ensus bioethanol plant in Teesside has already been restarted for three months to help protect supply. Ministers are also concerned that disruption could coincide with the FIFA World Cup, which begins 11 June.

Food inflation forecasts have risen sharply. Academic estimates cited by ITV News suggest up to 12% food price inflation in 2026 if energy prices remain elevated at 50% above pre-war levels. Industry experts suggest prices across food and grocery could rise by around 5% over the next three months, with further increases possible by autumn.

The TA urges members to review CO₂-dependent supply chains and factor contingency planning into summer operational budgets. The Government’s position is that Exercise Turnstone represents standard Whitehall contingency planning rather than a forecast.

BUSINESS COSTS: NIC & BUSINESS RATES

NIC Impact on Hospitality — Treasury Written Answers
Andrew Bowie MP (Conservative, Gordon and Buchan) tabled two Written Questions pressing the Treasury on the impact of National Insurance contribution costs on hospitality closure rates and on labour-intensive sectors. Both were answered by Dan Tomlinson MP (Exchequer Secretary) on 15 April. The Government did not engage directly with the closure rate question — pointing instead to the TIIN alongside the NIC changes, the Employment Allowance increase to £10,500, and the permanently lower RHL multipliers worth approximately £900 million per year. No assessment of hospitality closure rates was offered.

The TA notes the Government’s refusal to assess the NIC impact on closure rates, particularly given UKHospitality’s data showing over 3,350 accommodation and food service insolvencies in the twelve months to December 2025 — the third highest sector for insolvencies across the UK economy.

Business Rates Revaluation — Treasury Written Answers
Tony Vaughan MP (Labour, Folkestone and Hythe) tabled three Written Questions asking whether the Government would delay the 2026 revaluation, increase the RHL discount to 20%, and what support is available for businesses losing RHL relief while facing higher rateable values. All three answered by Dan Tomlinson MP on 15 April. The Government’s position is clear:
• No delay to the revaluation and no increase in the RHL discount to 20%
• The £4.3 billion support package includes an expanded Supporting Small Business scheme capping bill increases for former RHL relief recipients
• New permanently lower RHL multipliers — set 5 pence below national equivalents — worth nearly £1 billion per year benefiting over 750,000 properties
• The multipliers are permanent, unlike the previous time-limited relief, providing long-term certainty.

WORKFORCE: IMMIGRATION SCHEME UPDATES

EU Settlement Scheme — Automated Grants and Curtailment, 8 April 2026
The Home Office announced changes to the EUSS automated process on 8 April, operating in two directions:
• Automatic grants of settled status: Pre-settled status holders will be automatically upgraded where HMRC/benefits data shows at least 30 months’ UK residence in the most recent 60 months, including those whose status previously lapsed.
• Removal of pre-settled status: The Home Office will begin reviewing cases showing less than 30 months’ residence in the last 60 months. A minimum of 28 days’ notice before any removal; right of appeal in all cases.

The TA advises members to review EU national workforce against the 30-month threshold and signpost potentially affected employees to: gov.uk — EUSS automation update, April 2026.

Ukraine Permission Extension — 24-Month Grants, 8 April 2026
From 8 April, eligible Ukrainians can receive a 24-month extension of permission to stay (previously 18 months). The application window widens to 90 days before expiry (previously 28 days), with any remaining permission carrying over. This provides greater employment continuity for TA members employing Ukrainian nationals. Full guidance: gov.uk — Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.

FORWARD LOOK

Date Event / Item Tourism & TA Relevance
17 Apr CMS tourism question — Hansard due TA to report ministerial response to Greg Smith MP
18 May CMS tourism inquiry — submissions deadline TA drafting response; member call to be convened
1 May Local elections, England TA monitoring for visitor economy implications in key mayoral areas
7 May Senedd Election, Wales New Welsh Government formed; TA engagement on four Wales policy priorities begins
c. May 2026 English Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill OVL enabling power for Mayoral Strategic Authorities expected via this legislation
13 May State Opening / King’s Speech TA monitoring for Visitor Economy Growth Strategy and OVL enabling measures
Early summer England OVL consultation response (MHCLG) Government response to February 2026 consultation on overnight visitor levy design
Mid-2026 VisitBritain revised inbound forecast Updated forecast in light of Iran conflict and global economic uncertainty
17 Nov TA Policy Conference, London Save the date — more details to follow

MEMBER EVENTS

BBPA Annual Conference 2026: The Future of Beer and Pubs
A reminder that the BBPA Annual Conference takes place on Tuesday 12 May 2026 at Plaisterers’ Hall, London EC2Y 5JU. Tickets are £99 (members) / £149 (non-members). Full details were carried in last week’s edition. Book via inntegra.co.uk/events.

INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE

UK Exhibitions Reach Highest Level in a Decade — EIA SASIE 2025
The Events Industry Alliance (EIA) published its tenth annual Size and Scale Index for Exhibitions (SASIE) on 15 April 2026. The UK’s events industry is now worth an estimated £68.7 billion to the national economy (UKEvents, December 2025), with exhibitions alone contributing £11.5 billion in economic output and supporting 126,000 jobs.

In 2025, there were an estimated 1,154 exhibitions and conferences at the UK’s main venues, attracting 6.8 million visits — the highest number of events since 2015, with sustained growth since 2022. Total visitor numbers were up 4% on 2024, driven strongly by repeat trade exhibitions, where visitor numbers reached their highest point since 2015. The leisure sector represented the largest share (18%) of all exhibitions. Most indicators remain at approximately 75–90% of pre-Covid levels, reflecting the continuing impact of Brexit, global uncertainty and inflationary pressures.

EIA Chair Ian Taylor noted that the sector “has long played a central role in promoting the UK’s strengths at home and internationally”, citing the announcement of DreamHack and ESL One — two of the world’s largest gaming events — coming to Birmingham in March 2026 as evidence of the UK’s continued appeal as a global events destination. UK Events, a TA member, is part of the EIA coalition. The full report is available at eventsindustryalliance.com/research.

Sources & References

CMS Committee tourism inquiry: committees.parliament.uk
WA 124075 — Holiday Accommodation: Devon (Peacock, 14 April 2026): questions-statements.parliament.uk
WAs 125054–56 / 125248–50 — Hospitality NIC & Rates (Tomlinson, 15 April 2026): questions-statements.parliament.uk
Home Office — EUSS automation update, April 2026: gov.uk
Home Office — Ukraine Permission Extension scheme: gov.uk
The Times — Exercise Turnstone / food supply planning, 16 April 2026: thetimes.co.uk (paywall)
EIA SASIE 2025 report: eventsindustryalliance.com/research
BBPA Annual Conference 2026: beerandpub.com/events-calendar