The government is fully behind the tourism industry, according to Culture Secretary, Maria Miller.

The Jubilee, Olympics and Paralympics have resulted in a bumper year for UK tourism, with record tourism spend of £598m in August – a 9 per cent increase on 2011. Miller says the industry will need to innovative and be competitive to reap the benefits of this.

She warned against complacency in the face of rising international competition, and said the industry must rise to the challenge of capturing the growing consumer base from countries like China, India and Brazil.

"In Britain, this government recognises that tourism is a cornerstone of growth. Currently our fifth biggest industry, many think it could be our fastest growing sector over the next decade,” she says.

Miller went on to talk about how early forecasts from the VisitBritain GREAT campaign are encouraging, with analysis predicting it will generate a quarter of a billion pounds for the British economy over the next two years.

However, some in the industry are questioning the government’s commitment to tourism. Speaking in the Financial Times in August, Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments – a major tourism player – said prices need to be more competitive and visa restrictions relaxed, especially for China.