One in 10 people work in hospitality and tourism

Between 2010 and 2015 the sector created one in five of all new jobs - 331,000 positions - and contributed £143bn to the economy annually.

A further 60,000 apprenticeships, work experience placements and jobs for young people are expected to be created by the end of 2016 via the Big Hospitality Conversation initiative.

The research was commissioned by the British Hospitality Association (BHA) and will be presented at a briefing session in Parliament today (16 September) as part of Westminster Hospitality and Tourism Day​ – where MP’s will meet with hospitality business leaders.

Writing in the report BHA chief executive Ufi Ibrahim and chairman Nick Varney warned that government support could ‘make or break’ future growth of the industry.

“We applaud BHA members for their achievements over the last few years, and it is our ambition to ensure the future success of UK hospitality and tourism,” they said.

“But set against a backdrop of intense international rivalry, government policy can make or break our ambition.

“Such an important industry needs and deserves the support of government in both economic and policy terms.

“We need the UK Government to make hospitality and tourism an economic priority, as other countries do – most notably China, the United States and across Europe.”