Prime Minister Tony Blair has called on the hospitality and tourism industries to seize the opportunity of the London Olympics in 2012 to boost turnover by £25b.

The call was made yesterday at a top-level meeting on UK tourism, attended by the prime minister, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and key figures from the hospitality sector.

Industry representatives were invited to sign a "Tourism 2012 Charter", committing their businesses to increasing standards and improving staff skills to help boost the sector's turnover from £74b to £100b by the Olympics.

Jowell admitted that in order to achieve the £100b goal, "the industry needs to improve the consistency of its quality, [and] raise the level of skill within".

However, with research from industry sector skills council People 1st warning that the cost of replacing lost staff will hit £6.2b by 2012 if left unchecked, there remains plenty of work to do.

Despite this, Rob Hayward, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said the task was feasible.

"The general consensus at the meeting was that 2012 provided a much broader opportunity for the industry than just the Olympics themselves," he said. "The drive will run for years before the games, and continue years after."

Hayward added: "Replacing staff is an ongoing cost, but it has always been there. But ultimately we must look at improving the industry on a broader basis."

By Jen Crothers

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