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Julia Lo Bue-Said: 'Where's the support for small businesses that underpin the economy?'

Economy
Harry Kemble
23 July 2026

Following prime minister Andy Burnham's decision to cut business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues, Advantage Travel Partnership Chief Executive Julia Lo Bue-Said warns of "overhanging" issues that continue to stymie small and medium-sized business across the country. 

Advantage chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said
(Credit: Advantage Travel Partnership)

Advantage chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said (Credit: Advantage Travel Partnership)

The decision by Andy Burnham to back a 20% cut in business rates for pubs, bars and live music venues is a welcome recognition of the pressures facing businesses that are central to the UK's economy.

But where is the support for hotels, restaurants and the thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that underpin so much of the UK’s economy and workforce?

Our visitor economy is an interconnected ecosystem. Travel agents, tour operators, hotels, restaurants, attractions, transport providers and hospitality businesses all rely on one another to drive economic growth. Supporting one part of that ecosystem while overlooking others risks limiting the overall impact.