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Written question asked by Tulip Siddiq (Labour) on Thursday, 15 April 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 19 April 2021. It was answered by Nigel Huddleston (Conservative) on Monday, 26 April 2021 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Travel Agents: Software

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the Discover England Fund on the competitiveness of the booking management software industry.

Answer

My Department and VisitEngland regularly assess the impact of Government funding for tourism product development in England on various aspects of the industry.

One of the core objectives of VisitEngland’s £45.5m Discover England Fund (DEF) was to ensure products were bookable online and therefore easier to access in domestic and international markets. With the number of online-bookable products in England increasing through DEF, there has been greater appreciation for the value in using a booking system to distribute and sell tourism products.

Tourism Exchange GB (TXGB) is the online digital platform created in partnership with VisitBritain/VisitEngland to help suppliers across the UK reach more consumers.

TXGB actively encourages any booking system to integrate itself within the platform, providing them with the opportunity to access new products. There are currently 83 booking systems integrated to TXGB and a pipeline of further activity to increase this number.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
181361
Session
2019-21
Subjects
Software Competition Travel agents
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk