Bob Cotton, chief executive of British Hospitality Association (BHA), has urged every hotelier and restaurateur in the UK to stress the importance of tourism during the run up to the next general election.

Speaking to more than 600 delegates at the BHA annual luncheon at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London yesterday (24 June), Cotton said that all industry members should promote the economic importance of the hospitality industry on politicians and parliamentary candidates.

"Tourism and hospitality is the economic lifeline for many regions of the country," Cotton said.

"All of us in the industry - nationally, regionally, locally - have the task of ensuring that our politicians and parliamentary candidates at the next general election fully understand the scale of the contribution that the industry makes to the economy.

"The industry needs a government that understands that tourism remains a key economic driver - both nationally and in the regions. Do we have this understanding? I fear not."

Cotton went onto say that the recent withdrawal of the Hotel Buildings Allowance and other tax incentives was a "double whammy" which was now deterring the 40,000 or privately owned hospitality businesses from investing in their future.

The annual luncheon was attended by London mayor Boris Johnson, who told delegates he would do "all he can" to promote tourism ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

"As we head towards the London Games in 2012, the next few years provide unprecedented opportunities for the UK's tourism and hospitality industries," Johnson said.

"London is the gateway to the UK and if we get our offer to tourists right, then the whole country benefits."

Johnson also used his speech to renew his calls for the hospitality industry to voluntarily adopt the London Living Wage (LLV), which is currently set at £7.60 an hour to reflect the higher living cost in the capital. The minimum wage is currently £5.73 for people aged 22 years and older, while people aged between 18 and 21 receive £4.77.

The mayor's comments were welcomed by pressure group London Citizens and the Unite union, which had assembled a protest outside the Grosvenor House Hotel demanding for the LLV to be adopted universally.