The UK’s professional body for conservation specialists, the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), has welcomed new research by VisitBritain confirming again how the care and conservation of Britain’s built heritage underpins a key part of the national economy’s current and future well-being.
VisitBritain’s new research demonstrates how ‘Britain is seen as a world-class destination in terms of its built heritage’, and how culture and heritage remain ‘the most important part of Britain’s tourism (as) Britain’s rich history and heritage continue to be strong drivers in attracting visitors.’
Seán O’Reillly, Director of the IHBC, said: “This research pins down again how planning and building conservation underpin a key part of our economy. VisitBritain estimates that Britain’s unique culture and heritage attracts £4.5bn worth of spending by inbound visitors annually, equivalent to more than one-quarter of all spending by international visitors, safeguarding more than 100,000 jobs across the length and breadth of Britain.”
Seán O’Reilly went on to say: “This research confirms how caring for our places is a key starting point for our economic recovery. While the weak pound enhances our attraction as a destination, it’s the historic and cared for places that are the actual draw. That highlights the importance of the careful management of our built places, and that is only magnified when we remember that about half of the entire construction industry involves working with our existing built stock. So whether caring for high-profile attractions, or managing and enhancing and the ordinary places we all live in, properly looking after the resource that is our built environment is central to our economic well being, now and for the future.
“Clearly, as Localism is being used in places to underpin a pro-development positioning in England’s planning system, government must remember that it was the UK’s substantial planning infrastructure, underpinned first by dedicated planning officials in local government, that ensured that the country did not fall into the trap that is now destroying the economy of Ireland and many other countries. Banks and their regulators may have failed us, but we need to remember that the UK’s planning system has helped save us from a much worse fate.”
Download the document HERE
Visit Britain Statistics: LINK
