News from the gardening world
Estimated £3 billion raised from garden visits should be more, say MPs
Visiting gardens could provide a real boost to the UK economy, a report from MPs has concluded. The cross-party Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee think the estimated £3 billion raised by public and private gardens around the country could be increased still further. But they conclude that although gardens already make up a significant part of tourism revenue and contribute significantly to international standing, work still needs to be done to realise the untapped potential, as the benefits the garden sector brings 'aren't properly understood’ and ‘underestimated in financial, social and cultural terms’.
In 2018, there were 37.9 million overseas visitors to the UK, with almost a third of visits including a trip to a garden or park. Garden day trips in England have increased each year since 2014.
The Committee of MPs is now urging government to create a UK Garden City competition to raise the profile of garden tourism, with the aim of launching the first competition before the end of 2020. The new venture would be similar to the highly successful UK City of Culture initiative.
It also plans a new taskforce, including representatives from VisitBritain and the gardening sector, to co-ordinate garden tourism marketing activity better, with destination management organisations and economic regeneration strategies such as Local Enterprise Partnerships driving regional economic growth. One of the first tasks will be to ensure tourism is included in the local 10 industrial strategies of areas that contain the 20 most visited gardens outside London.
Research for the report was gathered at the first select committee evidence session held at this year’s Chelsea Flower show, where MPs asked representatives from the National Trust, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Royal Horticultural Society, Royal Parks and VisitBritain to evaluate the support government could provide.
“Britain’s gardens are part of what makes Britain great,” said Committee chair Damian Collins. “It’s time for the garden design and tourism industries to be properly recognised for the significant contribution they make to our economy.”