Tourism chiefs - including the boss of Visit Kent - will attend a crunch meeting today as they face the prospect of losing further billions of pounds in trade this year.

National tourism agency VisitBritain/VisitEngland is predicting in-bound tourism this year will be less than a quarter of the £28.4billion it generated in 2019, at £6.2bn.

Travel restrictions, as a result of the pandemic, has severely impacted the number of foreign tourists entering the country. Last year, Kent lost an estimated £2bn of spending due to the pandemic.

And although many will be looking to have a staycation this year, the national agency predicts a slow recovery with domestic tourism spending estimated at £51.4bn this year - just over half of the £91.6bn in 2019.

Last year, two-thirds of the value of the domestic tourism spending was wiped out - amounting to a £58bn loss to the economy.

They will be top of the agenda during a meeting today of leading tourism industry leaders as an annual review event.

Visit Kent chiefs - who spearhead the bid to attract tourists both domestic and foreign to the county - expect the trends to be replicated in Kent.

Its CEO, Deirdre Wells, who will be among those attending, said: "We don’t have exact forecast figures for inbound visits to Kent but we would rely on VisitBritain’s figures.

"With international travel at a minimum at present, it does present huge challenges for our many businesses which rely on international – particularly cross-Channel – visits.

"Hopefully, we will be able to see some lifting of restrictions in the coming months."

The hybrid virtual and in-person event, being held during English Tourism Week, will reflect on the national agency’s work and its priorities for the year ahead to aid the recovery of domestic and international tourism, "stimulating demand and supporting the rebuilding of a more resilient, sustainable and accessible industry".

British Tourist Authority chairman, Lord Patrick McLoughlin, said: “When Covid-19 arrived on our shores, it hit our industry first and hardest. Successful destinations and businesses across the country saw their cash flow dry up and had to close their doors to visitors.

"Inbound visitor spending dropped by a staggering 78% in 2020 compared to the previous year, and domestic spending by 63%, resulting in an estimated loss to the economy of £285m per day from tourism. The sector faced an unprecedented challenge”.

He added the government's support measures including furlough, the VAT cut for hospitality businesses and the business rates holiday were a lifeline helping many businesses survive and keeping people in jobs. But as the months went on and pubs, hotels, attractions and events remained closed or found social distancing meant they could not open economically, cash reserves began to run dry.

The agency was also looking forward to the publication of the Tourism Recovery Plan, which will set out the role the government will play in accelerating the tourism sector's recovery from Covid-19.

Lord McLoughlin added: “Tourism has a proven track record as a growth sector. Worth £127bn to the economy, the industry is the UK’s third largest service export and provides jobs for more than 3.1m people. As a sector, we have a lot of experience in levelling-up, supporting local economies right across the country.

“By working together to drive demand and build back visitor spend as quickly as possible we can emerge from the pandemic a more resilient, sustainable, inclusive and innovative industry."

Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston said: "Britain’s tourism industry is a huge driver of our economy but has faced many challenges over the past year.

“We've provided more than £25bn in support, and I have been impressed by VisitBritain/VisitEngland and the wider sector for its agile and innovative response, coming up with new ways to provide hospitality and entertainment while maintaining social distancing and protecting people's safety.

"I look forward to working closely with them all as we build back better to create a sustainable, productive and resilient industry."

The tourism agency last week launched a £5m ‘Escape the Everyday – Enjoy the UK this Summer’ campaign to build back domestic demand with a focus on cities and city visitor attractions as well as regional gateways which have been particularly hard hit by the lack of international visitors and that rely on overseas visitors and their spending.

Head to our business page for all of the latest news about businesses in Kent