Increasing red tape is holding back the growth of the UK's tourism and hospitality industry, says British Hospitality Association (BHA) chief executive Bob Cotton.

Cotton: onerous burden

"The Government wants the industry to grow from an annual turnover of £75b to £100b in the next ten years," he told the association's annual lunch at the London Hilton on Park Lane yesterday.

"What doesn't help is the increasing regulatory burden that industry has to bear.

"These regulations are costly to implement and often extremely onerous to introduce, especially in an industry predominently made up of small employers," he said.

"The regulatory and taxation regime needs to be sympathetic to the industry's needs.

"This is not happening and a lighter touch is needed if we are to meet the government's target."

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