The second National Conference of Visitor Attractions (VAC2005) took place yesterday (12 October) at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in London.

The event, organised on a not-for-profit basis by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA) and the Visitor Attractions Forum (VAF), featured a number of keynote speeches by industry leaders.

American travel author, Bill Bryson, raised his concerns over the increasing amount of litter in British towns and on roads, and said it could lead to a long-term loss of visitors from countries which do not suffer from the problem – such as the US, Canada and Australia.

“Litter is becoming a national disgrace and could leave many visitors disappointed – and with poor impressions of this wonderful destination,” he said.

Meanwhile, tourism minister James Purnell called for the industry to pull together to close the skills gaps in the sector.

According to government figures, around £900m is lost each year in the tourism industry alone due to staff retention problems.

He also said that there was now an increasing amount of data available on the effects of the terrorist attacks on London in July.

"It seems clear now that it is the domestic market which is showing the slowest signs of recovery following the attacks," he said.

"The inbound foreign visitor figures are quickly returning to pre-July levels, but families living outside London are the most reluctant to return to London for visits."

The issue of improving domestic travel was also one of the topics debated during the conference's Big Debate, chaired by VAC2005 chair, Ken Robinson.

Brigid Simmonds, chair of the Tourism Alliance and Fiona Reynolds, director general of the National Trust, urged the government to take immediate action to cut the UK's increasing tourism deficit. Details: www.vac2005.co.uk