Museum and tourism professionals have voiced concern over plans by VisitBritain, the UK's national tourism agency, to axe 142 posts this autumn.
The proposed redundancies are part of a restructuring of the 422-strong organisation that aims to reduce the number of staff at the head office in London by 40 per cent to 135 and overseas positions by a quarter to 145.
A VisitBritain spokesman said the restructuring was a response to the recent cut in government funding. Funding for VisitBritain was slashed from £47.6m in 2008-09 to £40.6m in 2010-11.
Kate Farmery, head of services at Manchester City Galleries, said: "The importance of culture in attracting tourists is increasingly being recognised. Museums and galleries across the north-west are about to embark upon a major initiative to capitalise on the region's appeal as a cultural tourism destination.
"While we understand the budget pressures that the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) is under, there is a need for sustained investment in promoting cultural tourism, if we are to compete in the global marketplace."
Robin Broke, director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, said: "I fear there will be a knock-on effect for museums, with fewer tourists enticed into visiting the UK."
But a DCMS spokeswoman insisted that "public sector support for tourism at national, regional and local levels has never been higher".
This month, the Cultural Olympiad is launched. The VisitBritain spokesman said the publication of the British Tourism Framework Review next month, which is assessing how VisitBritain should work with public agencies on projects such as the 2012 Olympics, would not be affected by the job cuts.
The proposed redundancies are part of a restructuring of the 422-strong organisation that aims to reduce the number of staff at the head office in London by 40 per cent to 135 and overseas positions by a quarter to 145.
A VisitBritain spokesman said the restructuring was a response to the recent cut in government funding. Funding for VisitBritain was slashed from £47.6m in 2008-09 to £40.6m in 2010-11.
Kate Farmery, head of services at Manchester City Galleries, said: "The importance of culture in attracting tourists is increasingly being recognised. Museums and galleries across the north-west are about to embark upon a major initiative to capitalise on the region's appeal as a cultural tourism destination.
"While we understand the budget pressures that the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) is under, there is a need for sustained investment in promoting cultural tourism, if we are to compete in the global marketplace."
Robin Broke, director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, said: "I fear there will be a knock-on effect for museums, with fewer tourists enticed into visiting the UK."
But a DCMS spokeswoman insisted that "public sector support for tourism at national, regional and local levels has never been higher".
This month, the Cultural Olympiad is launched. The VisitBritain spokesman said the publication of the British Tourism Framework Review next month, which is assessing how VisitBritain should work with public agencies on projects such as the 2012 Olympics, would not be affected by the job cuts.