Putting Blackpool on the national stage for tourism

This week I had the privilege of speaking at the Tourism Policy Conference 2025 – an annual gathering of the people who keep one of the country’s most important industries moving. Events like this are a clear reminder that UK tourism is far more than a nice day out or a weekend away. It’s one of the most powerful forces for growth, regeneration and opportunity in the UK today.

For me, tourism isn’t an abstract concept. I started my working life selling Kiss Me Quick hats to holidaymakers on Blackpool Promenade. My mum moved to Blackpool to work in tourism, becoming a Butlin’s Redcoat before putting down roots. For so many families in Blackpool and across the UK tourism is a livelihood, a community, a heritage.

Those early days on the seafront taught me lessons I still carry – the importance of hard work, of showing up through all weathers and of providing moments of escapism for people who need them. These values sit at the heart of the hospitality and tourism sectors, shaping workforces that are resilient, creative and consistently underestimated.

Blackpool embodies this story better than anywhere. With its iconic tower, three piers, world-class attractions and year-round programme of events, it remains one of the UK’s most visited destinations. In 2023, 21.5 million people came to our town. Tourism contributed £1.98 billion to the local economy and supported 23,500 jobs — an increase of over five per cent on the previous year.

Nationally, tourism contributes £165.3 billion in Gross Value Added to the UK – 6.7% of the entire economy – and supports nearly 2.9 million jobs. It fuels almost £200 billion in consumer spending. Put in these terms, Britain’s tourism economy is indispensable.

“Tourism has sustained Blackpool through decades of challenge. It has powered regeneration, created opportunity and given our town a resilience few can match.”

As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Hospitality and Tourism, I have spent the past year making the case for fairer financial frameworks for the industry. The financial barriers the industry faces determine whether thousands of small and medium-sized businesses can survive from one season to the next. These pressures have only grown as the cost of doing business has soared.

Over the past year the APPG has visited hotels, attractions and family-run businesses, listening to the people on the ground. We’ve held inquiry sessions on how the government can support workforce development and we’ve taken part in pre-budget evidence sessions to ensure the sector’s needs are heard clearly. I’ve met with the former Tourism Minister and ministers in the Department for Business and Trade to make sure that these concerns are brought to the heart of government, not left on the fringes.

But our work is evolving. In 2026, the APPG will begin a major assessment of tourism across all regions of the UK. Our aim is to shine a light on best practice in destination management, sustainability, workforce development and innovation and to understand the barriers and opportunities facing communities that rely on tourism. Through inquiries, roundtables, site visits and engagement with local authorities, trade bodies, small operators and industry leaders, we will gather the insight needed to push for evidence-based policy that unleashes tourism’s full potential.

Because this sector has untapped potential. The government has already rightly recognised tourism as integral to national ambitions for regeneration and employment expansion, but realising that ambition requires ongoing partnership between government, industry and local communities.

Tourism has sustained Blackpool through decades of challenge. It has powered regeneration, created opportunity and given our town a resilience few can match. I am determined that Westminster recognises this not only in Blackpool, but across every community where tourism is the heartbeat of local life.

As we look ahead, our mission is clear – to ensure tourism is treated not as an afterthought, but as a major pillar of Britain’s economic future. With the passion, creativity and dedication of the people who work in this sector, I have no doubt we can achieve it.