Michael Hirst, Chairman of the Business Tourism Partnership, has been elected a director of the Tourism Alliance, the membership body that speaks on behalf of all sections of the tourism industry.

This follows the Alliance’s reconstitution as a limited company and the election of eleven other directors to oversee the Alliance’s activities and to develop it policies of advocating more support for tourism. The Alliance’s annual report, published last month, says that one of the success stories of the last five years has been the growth in earnings from business tourism, both domestically and internationally.

The Alliance believes that success in this area is critical to achieving targeted earnings of £100 billion by 2010, as set by Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport.

The report recognises that London is disadvantaged as it lacks a convention centre with the facilities to host the largest international gatherings and is keen to see a decision made on the establishment of a centre in the near future. It believes that a convention centre sited in London would bring benefits to tourism for the whole of Britain.

The Allliance sees tourism’s overarching priorities as the creation of a framework for national and regional bodies to work together; additional investment in tourism, in particular for VisitBritain and recognition of the importance of investment by local authorities and for this to be reflected in their funding provision.

Issues which have already been considered in depth by policy groups are education training and skills; transport and land use planning, whilst emerging issues are identified as security, smoking in public places; development of the Adult Education Market; business tourism; insurance; a six term school year and daylight hours.

Michael Hirst, Chairman of the Business Tourism Partnership, said “It is excellent news that business tourism, now worth £18 billion in tourism receipts to the UK economy, will contribute, as a board member, towards the cohesive voice for tourism that the Alliance represents. Hopefully the success by the Partnership in raising the profile of the business tourism sector will be emulated by the Alliance for tourism in general”.

Richard Tobias, Director General of the Tourism Alliance said, “The Tourism Alliance welcomes having a representative from business tourism on its Board. The sector has long been the jewel in the crown of Britain’s tourism offering and will play a major role in achieving the growth targets set out for tourism through to 2010”.