Wales to benefit from new tourism sector deal

  • First tourism sector deal will prepare Britain for an extra 9 million visits per year, with commitment to build 130,000 new hotel rooms by 2025
  • £250,000 scheme launched to improve broadband connectivity in conference centres across the UK.
  • New tourism data hub will help businesses better understand overseas visitors
  • New focus on removing accessibility barriers for visitors with disabilities The Prime Minister has announced the UK’s first ever tourism sector deal today (Friday 28 June), reaffirming the UK’s global role as a key player in the industry.

The new deal will revolutionise the way data is used by the sector, through the creation of new Tourism Data Hub. The hub will collate regularly updated data showing the latest trends and spends, allowing businesses to better target overseas visitors.

The deal also includes a scheme worth £250,000 to improve broadband connectivity in conference centres across the UK.

Last year around 38 million people visited the UK, contributing £23 billion to the local economy. By 2025 experts predict that there will be an additional 9 million visitors to the UK. The new deal commits to building an additional 130,000 hotel rooms to respond to the increased demand for infrastructure.

The deal also outlines the government’s ambitions for the UK to become the most accessible destination for disabled visitors, through improvement of disabled facilities and access to destinations across the country.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

As one of the most visited countries in the world, the UK is a world leader in international tourism and it is crucial that we remain globally competitive to meet growing demands.

That’s why today I am pleased to announce the UK’s first ever tourism sector deal, ensuring that we continue to innovate, boost connectivity and economic productivity and break down barriers for visitors with disabilities.

This deal recognises the important role tourism plays, and will continue to play, in showcasing what our great country has to offer.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

Tourism is big business in Wales, and it is our ambition that it continues to provide sustainable employment and support our national economy.

This deal will make coming to Wales more accessible and improve conditions for domestic and international visitors, meaning they can make the most of our stunning scenery and famous Welsh culture.

More information about the Tourism Sector Deal can be found on the DCMS website.

Developed in partnership with the British Tourist Authority and Industry, the sector deal forms part of the UK Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy supporting the continued growth of the tourism sector, ensuring the UK remains globally competitive as a top tourist destination.

British Tourist Authority Chair Steve Ridgway CBE said:

This sector deal is a game-changer for tourism, one of the UK’s most valuable export industries, spelling a step-change in how we underpin the success of tourism for a generation, moving it to the top table as a leading industry for the UK Government’s future economic planning.

And it is a game-changer for the economy, growing the value of the industry and employment in tourism, fixing issues from skills and productivity to extending the season year-round, building stronger tourism destinations up and down the country and developing world-class experiences for domestic and international visitors.

Tourism is one of the most fiercely competitive global industries and this deal ensures we can continue to compete internationally as a top destination for visitors, driving major economic growth across the whole of the UK.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  • The number of employees in the tourism sector has increased by 17% since 2011. More than double the UK’s overall employment trends.
  • In 2018 there were more than 940,000 international visitors to Wales. These visitors spent £404.6 million in 2018.
  • The average international visitor to Wales stayed for 6.5 nights.
  • The most popular visitor attraction was Bodnant Garden and the most visited city was Cardiff.


UKVI ‘pop up’ visa application centre in Victoria, Seychelles

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will be offering a series of ‘pop up’ visa application sessions in Victoria between July to August 2019. These sessions will be operated by our commercial partner, TLS Contact, and will run for two consecutive working days each month on:

  • 16 and 17 July
  • 20 and 21 August

The sessions will be open on these days between 0900 to 1500hrs. Customers will be able to make appointments to submit visa applications on any of these days, and will be able to collect their passports from the British High Commission in Victoria once a decision has been made on the application.

The application process will not change. UK visa customers will continue to complete their applications and pay their visa fee online at Access UK before choosing an appointment at the Seychelles visa application centre.

To use this pop up application centre, customers in Seychelles will need to pay a service fee of £350 to TLS Contact, in addition to the visa fee. This service fee allows UKVI to offer this service in Seychelles, so that customers do not have to travel to another country to apply for a visa.

All payments should be made online at the time of making the application, before visiting the application centre.

At your appointment, you will submit your biometric data and your application will be sent to UKVI in South Africa. There will be no changes in visa processing times – UKVI will continue to process visa applications in line with global customer service standards. All UK visa applications will continue to be decided by trained UKVI staff in a fair and objective process – staff at the pop up application centre and at the British High Commission in Victoria have no influence at all over the outcome of any visa application.

Customers can make an appointment to submit their application in Victoria when they apply online. Customers who wish to make use of the pop up visa application centre (VAC) should follow these simple steps to apply:

Step 1

Visit Access UK to apply online for your UK visa. You can also find essential information here before you apply, including types of visas and supporting documents you may need. Ensure you know which type of visa you need to apply for.

Step 2

Make payment of the visa fee (and Health Surcharge if you are applying to study or stay in the UK for longer than 6 months) and book an appointment online to attend the pop up VAC in Victoria at the same time.

Tip! You will still be offered the option of attending the VAC in Mauritius, so ensure you are picking an appointment at the pop up VAC in Victoria.

Step 3

After you have made payment on your visa you will be redirected to the TLS contact website where you will be able to make payment of the mandatory £350 service fee. You will not be able to proceed with your appointment if you have not paid this service fee. Please bring the payment confirmation email with you on the day of your appointment.

Step 4

Attend your appointment at the pop up VAC, located at the British High Commission offices in Victoria.

Tip! Remember to take your passport and original supporting documents, including the receipt for the service fee. If you are applying to study in the UK, see what documents you will be required to submit.

Pop up visa application centre appointments are open to all customers who wish to apply for a visa for travel to the UK. If you are applying for a student visa, you can find specific guidance and FAQs on how to apply below.

Pop up visa application centre address:

British High Commission
3rd Floor
Oliaji Trade Centre
Francis Rachel Street
Victoria, Mahé
Seychelles



Readout of meeting between PM Theresa May and President Putin at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan

The Prime Minister met President Putin at the G20.

She told the President that there cannot be a normalisation of our bilateral relationship until Russia stops the irresponsible and destabilising activity that threatens the UK and its allies – including hostile interventions in other countries, disinformation and cyber attacks – which undermine Russia’s standing in the world.

The Prime Minister said that the use of a deadly nerve agent on the streets of Salisbury formed part of a wider pattern of unacceptable behaviour and was a truly despicable act that led to the death of a British citizen, Dawn Sturgess. She was clear that the UK has irrefutable evidence that Russia was behind the attack – based on painstaking investigations and cooperation with our allies.

She said that this behaviour could never be repeated and that the UK wants to see the two individuals responsible brought to justice.

The Prime Minister underlined that we remain open to a different relationship, but for that to happen the Russian government must choose a different path.

The Prime Minister said the UK would continue to unequivocally defend liberal democracy and protect the human rights and equality of all groups, including LGBT people.

As two permanent members of the UN Security Council, they also discussed issues of global concern, including the importance of keeping Iran in the nuclear deal and the need for President Putin to restrain Assad’s assault on Idlib. The Prime Minister underlined that the UK would respond firmly to any further use of chemical weapons by the regime.

She also said that Russia’s actions in Ukraine are deeply concerning and that for any progress to be made there needs to be a deescalation in the conflict and the release of the 24 Ukrainian servicemen whose vessels were forcibly seized in the Black Sea.



May 2019 Price Paid Data

Of the 85,667 sales received for registration 25,392 took place in May 2019 of which:

There is a time difference between the sale of a property and its registration at HM Land Registry.

In the dataset you can find the date of sale for each property, its full address and sale price, its category (residential or commercial) and type (detached, semi-detached, terraced, flat or maisonette and other), whether or not it is new build and whether it is freehold or leasehold.

  • Price Paid Data is published at 11am on the 20th working day of each month. The next dataset will be published on 26 July 2019.

  • Price Paid Data is property price data for all residential and commercial property sales in England and Wales that are lodged with HM Land Registry for registration in that month, subject to exclusions.

  • The amount of time between the sale of a property and the registration of this information with HM Land Registry varies. It typically ranges between 2 weeks and 2 months. Data for the 2 most recent months is therefore incomplete and does not give an indication of final monthly volumes. Occasionally the interval between sale and registration is longer than 2 months. The small number of sales affected cannot be updated for publication until the sales are lodged for registration.

  • Price Paid Data categories are either Category A (Standard entries) which includes single residential properties sold for full market value or Category B (Additional entries) for example sales to a company, buy-to-lets where they can be identified by a mortgage and repossessions.

  • HM Land Registry has been collecting information on Category A sales from January 1995 and on Category B sales from October 2013.

  • Price Paid Data can be downloaded in text, CSV format and in a machine readable format as linked data and is released under Open Government Licence (OGL). Under the OGL, HM Land Registry permits the use of Price Paid Data for commercial or non-commercial purposes. However, the OGL does not cover the use of third party rights, which HM Land Registry is not authorised to license.

  • The Price Paid Data report builder allows users to build bespoke reports using the data. Reports can be based on location, estate type, price paid or property type over a defined period of time.

  • HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.

  • HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.

  • HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership valued at £7 trillion, enabling more than £1 trillion worth of personal and commercial lending to be secured against property across England and Wales.

  • For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.

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    • Electric roadworks vehicle trial announcement

    One of the vehicles is being used across the East Midlands and the other on a major scheme which is improving the A14 in the East of England.

    The trial is part of a package of air quality measures unveiled by Highways England to improve air quality along motorways and major A roads. Further measures include a barrier to be installed alongside the M1 in South Yorkshire to help improve air quality for the local community and installing more electric charge points on or near the motorway network.

    The five-month trial of the electric roadworks vehicles is being funded from the company’s £75million ring fenced fund designated for air quality improvements, which the company intends to spend in the current road investment period.

    Highways England’s Martin Bolt, Corporate Group Leader, Operations Directorate (Midlands) said:

    We are actively exploring opportunities to improve air quality for those travelling on or living near our roads as well as reduce exposure for road workers. These vehicles help with that and also reduce noise for nearby residents. We are now investigating how widely electric vehicles could sustainably be used across Highways England’s roads.

    Highways England is working with H W Martin (Traffic Management Ltd) to trial the vehicles, which are being used for various tasks including traffic management, maintenance operations, and the installation and removal of lane closures for construction work. Experts from the University of Bath are helping collect and analyse data as part of this scientific trial to determine what activities these new vehicles are best suited to.

    Ryan Wood, Technical Manager for H W Martin (Traffic Management Ltd) said:

    These two fully electric vehicles are the first of their kind to be used for roadworks on England’s motorway and major A roads. Undertaking these trials will allow us to understand first-hand how the vehicles perform while carrying out different tasks and how current charging infrastructure provides a network for their use. Not only are we understanding the real-world performance of the vehicle but also how our drivers adapt their behaviour. This study allows us to continue moving our industry towards a more sustainable future.

    The electric traffic management vehicle trial is running between April and August. This will be followed by a post-trial report, the results of which will inform future work around assessing how charging infrastructures are deployed for major projects and looking at the future potential for using electric roadworks vehicles.

    General enquiries

    Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

    Media enquiries

    Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.