Tourists 'driven away' by Heathrow welcome

A scathing finding by the all-party culture select committee claimed delays and a second-rate "welcome" were deterring visitors and costing the wider economy a fortune

The committee had been investigating problems facing the UK tourist industry and said: "The UK is perceived to offer poor levels of customer service and quality of "welcome"."

"Heathrow airport is a classic example: the current reputation and passenger experience of Heathrow acts as a significant disincentive to many people considering visiting the UK."

One tourism group, UKinbound, told the committee: "Heathrow as it is today is a national disgrace and Gatwick is, frankly, not much better."

The strongly worded report was seized upon by critics of Britain's biggest airport, including London business leaders who demanded immediate improvements.

The report is the latest in a series of attacks on "Heathrow hassle", which reached a climax with the disastrous opening of Terminal 5 last year.

The MPs said the UK was consistently ranked as the strongest national "brand" in an international tourism index, but it came just 17th out of 38 in a league table for visitor perceptions of the welcome they received.

"The quality of welcome at the UK's airports, particularly Heathrow, was cited by witnesses as one such example of poor service," said the report.

The Tourism Alliance told the committee that the quality of service was "not a good welcome to the UK". Its comments were made before Terminal 5 opened and the report said flight delays, cancellations and lost baggage in its opening week "further damaged the airport's reputation."

Even during a visit to California, the committee members found that the T5 fiasco had received TV coverage.

Heathrow operator BAA said service was already improving and after initial problems T5 was currently shaping up into "the world class facility it was designed to be". The operator added it had doubled security personnel to reduce delays and was planning to spend £4 billion more on facilities.

A BAA spokesman said: "Heathrow's fundamental problem is that it has not had a new runway since 1946. While competitors in Europe operate at 75 per cent of capacity, Heathrow operates at 99 per cent. That means the slightest problem of disruption, whether from rain, fog or a presidential visit, means delays."

The report also attacked the Government over funding cuts to tourism body Visit Britain and said benefits from the London Olympics could slip away.

It condemned the cuts as "simply baffling" because they would bite during the run up to the Games.

"It is regrettable that the Government is committed to a spending settlement so close to London 2012 with a substantial funding reduction for the body responsible for marketing the UK overseas," said the report.