Mr Cameron said the income generated from the £115 billion-a-year tourism sector was “fundamental” to rebuilding the UK’s economy.
The PM was speaking at the Serpentine Gallery in London to an audience of representatives from the tourist industry.
He said:
Tourism is a fiercely competitive market, requiring skills, talent, enterprise and a government that backs Britain. It’s fundamental to the rebuilding and rebalancing of our economy.
It’s one of the best and fastest ways of generating the jobs we need so badly in this country. And it’s absolutely crucial to us making the most of the Olympics and indeed a whole decade of great international sport across Britain.
Mr Cameron said that between 2008 and and 2009, UK had fallen from sixth to 11th place in the World Economic Forum’s travel and tourism competitiveness ratings.
If it was now to take advantage of the “huge economic opportunity” that was opening up and break into the top five, it needed to improve its international competitiveness.
He said that the new coalition Government was now committed to building the “strongest possible tourism strategy” and ask the tourist industry audience to work with the Government to develop a tourism strategy by the end of this year.
I believe we can come together in a new nationwide effort to make this coming decade the best ever for tourism in Britain.
Speeches and transcripts: PM’s speech on tourism