Development of Tourism Act 1969
| Year | 1969 |
Development of TourismAct 1969
1969 CHAPTER 51
An Act to provide for the establishment of a British Tourist Authority and Tourist Boards for England, Scotland and Wales with responsibility for promoting the development of tourism to and within Great Britain; to provide for the giving of financial assistance out of public funds for the provision of new hotels and the extension, alteration and improvement of existing hotels; to enable provision to be made for the registration of hotels and other establishments at which sleeping accommodation is provided by way of trade or business and for securing that the prices charged there for such accommodation are brought to the notice of persons seeking to avail themselves of it; and for connected purposes.
[25th July 1969]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Part I
The Tourist Authority and the Tourist Boards
1 Establishment of British Tourist Authority, English Tourist Board, Scottish Tourist Board and Wales Tourist Board.
(1) For the purposes of this Act there shall be established four bodies to be known respectively as the British Tourist Authority, the English Tourist Board, the Scottish Tourist Board and the Wales Tourist Board.
(2) The British Tourist Authority shall consist of—
(a ) a chairman and not more than five other members appointed by the Board of Trade; and
(b ) the chairman of the English Tourist Board, the chairman of the Scottish Tourist Board and the chairman of the Wales Tourist Board.
(3) The English Tourist Board shall consist of a chairman and not more than six other members appointed by the Board of Trade, the Scottish Tourist Board shall consist of a chairman and not more than six other members appointed by the Secretary of State for Scotland, and the Wales Tourist Board shall consist of a chairman and not more than six other members appointed by the Secretary of State for Wales.
(4) In Part III of Schedule 1 to the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1957 (offices the holders of which are disqualified under that Act), in its application to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, there shall be inserted at the appropriate point in alphabetical order the words ‘Any member in receipt of remuneration of the British Tourist Authority, the English Tourist Board, the Scottish Tourist Board or the Wales Tourist Board’.
(5) Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect in relation to each of the bodies established by this section.
(6) In this Act ‘Tourist Board’ means any of the bodies established by this section, and ‘the relevant Minister’ means, in relation to the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourist Board, the Board of Trade, in relation to the Scottish Tourist Board, the Secretary of State for Scotland and, in relation to the Wales Tourist Board, the Secretary of State for Wales.
2 General functions and powers.
(1) It shall be the function of the British Tourist Authority—
(a ) to encourage people to visit Great Britain and people living in Great Britain to take their holidays there; and
(b ) to encourage the provision and improvement of tourist amenities and facilities in Great Britain;
and the English Tourist Board, the Scottish Tourist Board and the Wales Tourist Board shall have the like functions as respects England, Scotland and Wales respectively.
(2) In addition to the specific powers conferred on it by or under the subsequent provisions of this Act but subject to subsections (3) and (4) of this section, each Tourist Board shall have power to do anything for the purpose of discharging the functions conferred on it by this section or which is incidental or conducive to the discharge of those functions and in particular (but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions) for that purpose—
(a ) to promote or undertake publicity in any form;
(b ) to provide advisory and information services;
(c ) to promote or undertake research;
(d ) to establish committees to advise them in the performance of their functions;
(e ) to contribute to or reimburse expenditure incurred by any other person or organisation in carrying on any activity which the Board has power to carry on under paragraph (a ), (b ) or (c ) of this subsection.
(3) Only the British Tourist Authority shall have power by virtue of subsection (2) of this section to carry on any activities outside the United Kingdom for the purpose of encouraging people to visit Great Britain or any part of it but this subsection shall not prevent the other Tourist Boards engaging in such activities on behalf of the Authority.
(4) None of the Tourist Boards shall have power, except as provided by sections 3 and 4 of this Act, to give financial assistance for the carrying out of, or itself to carry out, any project for providing or improving tourist amenities and facilities in Great Britain.
(5) In discharging their functions under this section the English Tourist Board, the Scottish Tourist Board and the Wales Tourist Board shall have regard to the desirability of fostering and, in appropriate cases, co-operating with organisations discharging functions corresponding to those of the Boards in relation to particular areas within the countries for which the Boards are respectively responsible; and, without prejudice to the foregoing provisions of this section, each of those Boards shall have power to provide such organisations with financial or other assistance.
(6) In discharging its functions under this section each Tourist Board shall have regard to the desirability of undertaking appropriate consultation with the other Tourist Boards and with persons and organisations, including those mentioned in the last foregoing subsection, who have knowledge of, or are interested in, any matters affecting the discharge of those functions.
(7) A Tourist Board may charge for its services and receive contributions towards its expenses in carrying out any of its functions.
(8) A Tourist Board shall not borrow money except with the consent of the relevant Minister and the Treasury.
(9) In this Part of this Act ‘tourist amenities and facilities’ means, in relation to any country, amenities and facilities for visitors to that country and for other people travelling within it on business or pleasure.
3 General schemes of assistance for tourist projects.
(1) The British Tourist Authority may, after consultation with the English Tourist Board, the Scottish Tourist Board and the Wales Tourist Board, prepare schemes providing for the giving of financial assistance by those Boards for the carrying out of projects of such classes as may be specified in the schemes, being projects which in the opinion of the Authority will provide or improve tourist amenities and facilities in Great Britain.
(2) Any scheme prepared under subsection (1) of this section shall be submitted to the Board of Trade who may, subject to subsection (6) of this section, by order confirm it with or without modification; and if a scheme is so confirmed it shall thereupon have effect.
(3) A scheme under this section may provide for financial assistance to be given by way of grant or loan or by any combination of those methods.
(4) In making a grant or loan under any scheme made by virtue of this section a Tourist Board may, subject to the provisions of the scheme and to any directions under section 19 of this Act, impose such terms and conditions as it thinks fit, including conditions for the repayment of a grant in specified circumstances; and Schedule 2 to this Act shall have effect for securing compliance with conditions subject to which any such grant is made.
(5) A scheme which has effect under this section may be varied or revoked by a subsequent scheme prepared, submitted and confirmed in like manner or, subject to subsection (6) of this section, by an order made by the Board of Trade after consultation with the British Tourist Authority, the English Tourist Board, the Scottish Tourist Board and the Wales Tourist Board.
(6) Any power of the Board of Trade to make orders under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument and any order under subsection (2) of this section shall set out the scheme which the order confirms; and no order shall be made under this section except with the consent of the Treasury and unless a draft of it has been laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each House.
4 Execution of particular tourist projects.
(1) A Tourist Board shall have power—
(a ) in accordance with arrangements approved by the relevant Minister and the Treasury, to give financial assistance for the carrying out of any project which in the opinion of the Board will provide or improve tourist amenities and facilities in the country for which the Board is responsible;
(b ) with the approval...
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