Speaking at the inaugural Visitor Attractions Conference (VAC2004) this week, culture secretary Tessa Jowell said that large and well-placed visitor attractions are vital to tourism – the ‘heart of our economic engine’.

She also said it was vital that the industry plays a larger role in marketing itself and boosting skills and resources and that it should work together to promote tourism – such as through increased participation in VisitBritain campaigns.

She added that tourism will be one of the major beneficiaries if London is successful in its bid to host the 2012 Olympics and should start to capitalise on the opportunities available.

However, delegates at the conference said the government should prove its commitment to the tourism industry by adding it to the title of the culture secretary’s department – currently called the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

David Cam, director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and vice chair of BALPPA (British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions) said: “If the government really put tourism to the forefront it would make a huge difference to our industry – for example, the Highways Agency wouldn’t close motorway junctions or do work on Bank Holidays, when access to our businesses is vital.

“Also, the MET office would have to stop making glibe generalisations about the weather and road conditions and persuading people to stay at home.”

Jowell claimed that a name change would be considered, but that it was unlikely any alteration would be implemented before the general election.

Delegates and speakers also called for more visitor and visitor attractions data and statistics to be recorded and made available to the industry.

The day’s seminars also included talks by industry figures such as the chair of the Visitor Attractions Forum, Ken Robinson; VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright; the marketing director of the Eden Project, David Meneer, the chair of Locum Destination, Richard Tibbott, the managing director of Stevens & Associates, Dr Terry Stevens and the chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, Nick Varney.

A presentation by Grahame Senior – founder of Senior King Communications Group – entitled A Game of Two Tribes, identified two groups of consumers - the majority who are spending their leisure time at home and the much smaller group of consumers who are going out to find leisure stimulation.

Senior highlighted the impact that their differing behaviours will have on the visitor attractions industry in future years. In a rather sobering analysis, he suggested that the visitor attractions industry now needs to focus its energies on the 30 per cent of consumers who, he says, regularly use attractions.

Author and Times columnist, Simon Jenkins spoke of his recollections from his tour of stately homes across the UK, and concluded that they need to be filled with life, people and events in order to convey their meaning to visitors and attract broader audiences.

The afternoon session also saw a debate on issues raised by delegates with a panel boasting English Heritage chair Sir Neil Cossons; VisitBritain board member Penelope, Viscountess Cobham; tv personality and museums and heritage advocate Loyd Grossman; former editor of Holiday Which? Patricia Yates and David Cam. The session was chaired by Ken Robinson.

The conference was the first major cross-sector event for the visitor attractions industry in the UK and investigated the theme, Attracting Success.

It took place on 12 October at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and was supported by BALPPA, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), VisitBritain, the Visitor Attractions Forum, the DCMS and the Tourism Alliance. Attractions Management is the official publication – a full report of the conference will be published in the next issue, out later this month. Call +44 (0)1462 471913 to subscribe.