England and Wales' May Day bank holiday could be moved to another time of year as part of the government's new strategy to increase tourism.

St David's Day (Wales) in March and St George's Day (England) in April could provide a rescheduled bank holiday, while a 'Trafalgar Day' could take May Day's place in October. The government said the moving of the bank holiday forward would boost patriotism, while a later bank holiday would help Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night become "larger celebrations".

However, plans to move UK clocks in line with Central European Time, which would be one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in winter, have been scrapped. Other proposals set out in the Tourism Strategy include improving the entry visa process for overseas visitors and the introduction of more e-Passport gates to reduce queuing times.

The government has also set out its ambitions for a £100m marketing campaign joint-funded in partnership with the private sector to attract 4 million extra visitors over the next four years. Tourism minister John Penrose said: "The UK tourism industry is very big business indeed. It generates £90bn for the economy every year, employing 1.36 million people and supporting more than 200,000 businesses, large and small.

"So, it's no surprise that the government sees it as a key element in our plans to grow the economy and get Britain back on its feet." Tourism Alliance chair Ken Robinson said: "We are pleased that the government has recognised the new employment and sustainable economic growth that tourism offers, and the need for action by government together with industry to achieve this potential."

VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: "We look forward to working with the Tourism Minister and the industry in a united partnership to grow tourism and ensure the success of one of the UK's most important and dynamic industries." British Hospitality Association chief executive Ufi Ibrahim said: "We applaud the fact that this strategy is aimed at reaching across Whitehall.

"But we are concerned that new policies empowering local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships to support tourism may not be realised." Kirk Kinsell, president of Europe, Middle East and Africa at InterContinental Hotels Group, said the strategy was a "serious attempt" to recognise the importance of the sector but said more could be done to increase competitiveness.

"We will be presenting the Treasury with a compelling case to reduce VAT on our sector so that we can actually boost our contribution to the government's purse and continue to deliver the entry-level and skilled jobs that are so desperately needed to bring about a job-fuelled recovery," he said. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has claimed that the government is only "tinkering" with tourism's potential and needs to do more to enhance growth.

FSB national chair John Walker said: "The tourism sector needs a real boost and we need to ensure funds remain where they are truly needed. "We need the government to put the right measures in place to unlock the true economic potential of the sector."

Martin Barratt, chief executive of the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA), expressed his disappointment at the strategy and called for the government to take real action if it wants to assist the sector. "All we have here are big words and no action - which has consistently been the government's line when it comes to tourism," he said.

"The consultation that the government undertook with the tourism sector prior to the launch of the strategy has been proven worthless and a waste of everybody's time. The policy document published today contains nothing of substance apart from promises to remove planning obstacles and review regulations, and a plan to change the date of a Bank Holiday. "The one cost-free opportunity to boost tourism, the backing of Daylight Saving, is passed up for fear it might upset the Conservatives' coalition partners.

"We know that times are hard and I think as an industry we have accepted that we should tighten our belts and get on with it, but maybe the coalition should stop taking credit for helping tourism when they are showing no signs of doing so. "If the government wants to achieve the goals it has set for the tourism industry, it needs to show confidence in the sector and take it seriously."

Meanwhile, the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) has criticised plans to move the May Day bank holiday and has called for an additional holiday in October instead. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Messing around with established bank holidays will disrupt people's schedules and create more red tape for employers."