Recently the evenings have been staying light a little bit longer, signalling the onset of Spring. With this and a little bit of sunshine I’ve certainly been a little happier and have noticed people in general have had more of a spring in their step! Even better news could be on the way this Friday as the government finally unveil the long-awaited  tourism strategy.

Details are being kept under wraps for the moment but it’s widely believed it will contain a recommendation to push the clocks forward an extra hour in the summer to put Britain on the same time as continental Europe.

Prime Minister David Cameron is believed to support the move, which could boost the UK economy by £3bn from increased tourism and leisure activities.

An hour’s extra daylight in the evenings would also cut energy consumption, which is great for the planet and for saving money, say supporters. Some parts of the UK including Scotland are not so keen however; Farmers are concerned it would affect their working patterns and parents think darker mornings will endanger school children.

Last October, the government announced a 34% cut to VisitBritain‘s budget, now VisitBritain is to make 70 redundancies in response to the cut in areas of finance, HR, IT and communications. It also plans to reduce its presence from 35 markets to 21 market overseas, based in 24 key cities. These markets make for 80% of all inbound tourism.

Despite these cuts however, the organisation remains positive for the moment as events such as the royal wedding and the 2012 Olympic Games are predicted to bring in an extra £2 billion in extra visitor spending which in turn should create 50,000 new jobs.

Chief executive officer Sandie Dawe said: “This proposed new structure and focus reflects our priorities and is in line with our four-year funding settlement.

“Our goal is to maximise the tourism opportunities of hosting a raft of major iconic events over the next two years. We need to ensure that this clarity of focus is supported by the right structure and skills.

“I have every confidence in the professionalism and passion of my team to deliver on our ambitions and for our partners and the whole tourism industry”.

A bit of early good news before the festive season for the UK travel industry as latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) report that from July to the end of September this year, the number of Brits taking business visits abroad has risen by 6% compared to the same period the year before, and the number of business visits to the UK has also increased by 6%.

The number of holiday visits to the UK has also risen by the magic 6%, but the number of Brits going on holiday abroad has fallen by 3%, which is good news for the inbound industry.

Meanwhile, visits by UK residents to Europe fell by 8% to 43 million, while those to North America fell by 9% to 3.4 million. Visits to other parts of the world fell by 2% to 8.9 million.

Roger Smith, head of the International Passenger Survey for the ONS, said: “It does appear that there are signs that the large falls we have seen in the recent past have begun to stabilise and show some signs of recovery.

“Business visits in both directions have picked up recently. October saw a small rise in holiday visits both to and from the UK compared with the same months a year earlier.”