Tourism is the UK economy's sixth biggest sector: it comprises over 200,000 businesses, 4.4% of the nation's jobs, and currently accounts for almost £90bn direct spend each year. However, the Government Tourism Policy (March 2011) identified it as an area with a great deal of untapped potential. To help access this potential, it announced the creation of a joint £125m government-industry marketing fund that aims to attract an additional four million visitors to the UK and increase domestic tourism. This is planned to lead to an additional £2bn spend in our economy, and the creation of 50,000 new jobs. Tourism was also identified as crucial to the nation's economic regeneration in last year's Plan for Growth, which detailed the government's desire to 'help create tourist destinations that match London and maximise the potential of other parts of Britain'.

UK Tourism: Maximising Potential offers a high-profile programme of experienced industry experts to explore how tourist destinations across the nation can make the most of their assets and opportunities, attracting the millions of visitors who enter into and travel across the country every year to explore all that Britain has to offer.