Best Western Blasts UK Bed Tax
MARCH 21, 2007. Best Western's Chief Executive, David Clarke, has today announced his deep disappointment at the Lyons' inquiry bed tax outcome by blasting the report for victimising the tourism industry.
If local Government choose to accept Sir Michael Lyons' recommendations the UK will become the second most taxed country in Europe - a decision that is sure to hit the industry hard and comes at a time when British tourists are increasingly spending more money outside of the UK.
Commenting on the news David Clarke said: "It is inevitable that this new tax will hit independent hotels harder. At Best Western we are actively supporting our hotels to understand not only how it will affect their business but to also give them guidance on continuing to provide a high quality service in the face of loosing revenue."
At a recent conference David slammed this exact proposal, outlining how it would be detrimental to the British tourism industry and the UK economy as a whole. He actively encouraged the group's hotel owners across the country to lodge their opposing views directly with their local Government to add weight to the industry's year-long battle.
Undefeated at the latest news, the largest group of independently owned hotels have today outlined the second wave of its online campaign. A dedicated web page at www.bestwestern.co.uk/bedtax invites hoteliers, as well as members of the public, to join Best Western in campaigning against this proposed tax.
On hearing the decision this morning David Clarke said: "The hotel industry has only recently recovered from a lack of tourism following the London bombings and now the Government has created another obstacle for the industry to face."
"Holding the Olympics in 2012 will bring in tourism to England, but in the meantime hoteliers will suffer from lack of trade as budget airlines get cheaper and tourists choose to go elsewhere in Europe."
June Nelsey, Hotel Director of Best Western Monkbar Hotel in York echoes what hoteliers across England are saying in the wake of the decision: "The ever increasing competition and new low fare flights to Europe, together with a strong UK economy, means that cities across the UK are already struggling to compete in the tourism sector."
"The bed tax will be another nail in the tourism coffin and it is bitterly disappointing that the Government has yet again failed to recognise the vital role that tourism plays right across the country."
Best Western is the largest group of independently owned hotels in GB, with over 290 predominantly three and four-star hotels throughout England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands.
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