Last summer, Prime Minister David Cameron seemed to throw his full weight behind Britain's tourism industry, as he set out a vision for the country to be one of the world's top five destinations.
The publication of the Government's Tourism Strategy last month, added substance to the prime minister's rhetoric. But while the document addressed some of the issues hampering the industry, others, including the problems caused by immigration capping, were entirely ignored.
Now, this month's risible new immigration rules threaten to cut off the supply of experienced ethnic chefs from overseas. Under the new rules, it will be harder than ever for employers to bring in skilled chefs from non-EU countries. Migrants seeking work in the UK will need to be able to demonstrate intermediate level English and provide evidence of a graduate-level job offer.
Our ethnic diversity is one of our greatest assets when it comes to attracting inbound tourists. And a focus on our multicultural youth was central to our success in securing host nation status for the 2012 Games.
Yet the migrant cap has left our £3b ethnic restaurant sector to operate with one hand tied behind its back.
The Government must immediately reverse its Draconian approach to importing chef skills that are unavailable in this country, or else watch the inevitable closure of ethnic restaurants, with the resulting loss of jobs.