BACTA’S EXTRA BANK HOLIDAY GAINS TRACTION
Bacta suggested that the Government might consider an extra Bank Holiday later this year, in its recent re-opening report ‘Returning the FUN to Britain’s High Streets and Seaside Towns – A plan to get the amusement machine sector back to work.’
“At the time, we hadn’t seen this suggestion anywhere else, we simply thought that our members could really do with the extra support, considering that Easter and the May Bank Holiday were effectively cancelled,” says bacta CEO John White.
The BBC and other news outlets report yesterday that the Government is considering an extra Bank Holiday in October, after Visit Britain Acting Head Patricia Yates mooted the idea last Tuesday.
Downing Street then said the government was supporting the tourism industry through this “challenging period” and would “respond in due course” to the proposal. However, a spokesman said it was “worth acknowledging that extra bank holidays do come with economic costs”.
“Whatever the outcome – it’s worth remembering that a story like this highlights the plight of the tourism sector and that’s what’s important,” adds White. “Visit Britain has estimated that the country will lose £15bn on inbound tourism this year. Our members, particularly on the coast need all the support they can get.”
ENDS
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About bacta:
Bacta represents the owners and operators of seaside amusement arcades, over-18 amusement centres, and the companies that hire machines to pubs, clubs, bowling alleys, bingo halls and similar venues. It also represents the manufacturers and distributors of all types of amusement equipment. This can range from children’s rides, to jukeboxes, fruit machines in pubs and clubs, crane grabbers, penny falls, tuppeny nudgers, test your strength machines, videos, pool tables and gaming machines
