Liverpool BID Company and lobby group Downtown in Business launch what they are calling a national campaign to put pressure on Government to offer more support to hospitality, retail and leisure businesses. Tony McDonough reports
Hospitality, retail and leisure businesses form the backbone of the visitor economy but at the beginning of 2026 the sector is operating under severe economic strain.
Now Liverpool BID Company, which represents more than 800 businesses, in the city centre and networking and lobby group Downtown in Business, a Liverpool-based lobby group with bases across the UK, have joined forces on a new campaign.
Unlocking Britain’s Visitor Economy will be a national campaign that aims to connect business leaders, BIDs, hotels, retailers, cultural venues, and parliamentarians to bring the concerns of the industry from high streets to the corridors of power.
It will press Government for a more pro-growth, business-led approach to supporting the visitor economy. At the heart of the campaign is a new Visitor Economy Growth Charter and an upcoming Visitor Economy Manifesto, setting out clear policy asks.
This will include clarity on the national tourist tax, reform of business rates and VAT, action on high street regeneration, looking again at tax-free international shopping, skills and staffing reform, modernised planning and licensing.
It will also look to improve night-time transport, and changes to Package Travel Regulations to unlock domestic “experience-led” breaks.
With a series of regional and national events, a London forum, a parliamentary reception and sustained engagement with ministers, MPs and metro mayors this campaign “will take the concerns of businesses in Liverpool directly to those with the power”.
READ MORE: UK air tax costing Liverpool more than £200m, says Ryanair
READ MORE: Craft Beer Expo returns to Liverpool with ‘biggest event yet’
Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID Company, said: “Liverpool has shown what is possible when the private sector is empowered to lead investment in our city centre and visitor economy.
“The truth is that at a national level, policy-making is too focused on short term action, which is adding costs, complexity and uncertainty for business.
“We need a strategy for business that enables the engine fuel of our regional economies to thrive. As BIDs we provide additionality and are a champion for business, not a political machine. Yet the impact of policy-making on our private sector needs to be heard.”
Liverpool’s experience with business-led models such as the Accommodation BID will be used as a national case study throughout the campaign. It will culminate in a national report to Government.
Frank McKenna, group chair and chief executive of Downtown in Business, added: “The visitor economy is one of Britain’s greatest strengths – yet it is being held back by outdated regulation, rising costs, and a worrying instinct in Whitehall to tax first and think later.
“Unlocking Britain’s Visitor Economy is a serious, solutions-led campaign. We’re not just opposing bad ideas like a tourist tax – we’re setting out what government should do instead. Business-led investment, safer city centres, smarter regulation and policies that genuinely support growth.”