tourism UK
Britain's flagship tourism agency has told workers they can't use words such as 'blindspot' or 'man hours' anymore as the language is not inclusive.

Instead of man hours, travel agency VisitBritain told firms hosting guests from overseas to say 'person hours' as to not to offend anyone.

According to its 50-page language guide, the word 'blacklist' should be replaced by 'deny list' and 'blindspot' by 'missed opportunity'.

The company gave out the 18-point inclusive term sheet to foster a 'culture of belonging', but it has been slammed as being 'out of touch', according to The Sun.

VisitBritain - which is funded by the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport - also warned not to use the term 'guru' as it is said to have been appropriated from Hindu culture.

Instead, the £54million-a-year taxpayer funded agency said to use the term 'expert'.

Last year, VisitBritain issued an 'accessible and inclusive' toolkit for those in the tourism business.

In the 2023 information pack, the section of 'inclusive language' encouraged using positive language when asking about disabilities.

It warned people against using negative language such as 'suffers from', 'is a victim of', 'handicapped', 'invalid', 'crippled by' or 'wheelchair bound'.

But the new guidance goes a step further, giving business partners a list of words they can and cannot say.

To avoid offending people with disabilities, the word 'lame' should not be used in a derogatory manner, with the agency suggesting 'uncool' or 'cheesy' as an alternative.

In the place of using 'sanity check', VisitBritain advised saying 'confidence check', and instead of saying 'man up', telling people to 'be brave'.

Similarly, it advises workers to say 'everyone' or 'team' instead of using the term 'guys' to describe a group, despite it being commonly used in an all encompassing manner for all genders.

The inclusivity sheet was sent to the agency's partners to 'help shape the future' of the events hosted.

The same information pack tell event organisers to cater for those who don't drink alcohol and to set up 'low sensory' rooms, according to The Sun.

It tells partners that: 'Words and phrases used for generations are no longer acceptable'.

But Sir John Hayes CBE, who is the chairman of the Common Sense Group of Tory MPs which focusses on 'authentic conservatism', slammed the document.
john hayes
He told The Sun that those who made the inclusivity sheet are 'out of touch' and should be 'backlisted and blackballed' - using one of the words VisitBritain asked business partners to avoid.

The travel agency's role is to grow Britain's visitor economy and encourage tourists to explore the country.

It also advises the Government on tourism, providing research and insights into the industry.

A spokesperson for VisitBritain told the newspaper that the guide was developed with 'input from our business events industry partners'.

The move comes one month after MP Penny Mordaunt told Whitehall chiefs to stop using woke language in official documents.
penny mordaunt
In a letter to permanent secretaries, the Commons leader said official bodies should avoid using 'gender neutral language' in contexts where traditional words like mother and father would be more accurate.

The Commons authorities had just issued new guidance on the drafting of legislation, which says gender neutral language should not be used when drawing up laws in areas that are 'concerned only or mainly with people of one sex', such as pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

In her letter to Whitehall chiefs, a copy of which has been seen by the Mail, Ms Mordaunt said the same rules should apply to all official documents, including those produced by Whitehall departments and arms-length bodies like Ofsted, the Office for National Statistics and the Environment Agency.

Ms Mordaunt said that the 'huge progress' made on gender equality means it is right to avoid using language that assumes only a man or a woman could perform a particular role.

But she added: 'However, there are a great many contexts in which a person's biological sex is highly relevant and, in these circumstances, gender neutral language should be avoided.'

She pointed out that the guidance 'states that, for example, in the context of pregnancy or women's health, departments should avoid replacing a term like 'woman' with gender neutral terms such as 'person'.

In contexts such as these, sex-specific language should take precedence'. One ally said she was 'basically telling them not to be so woke'.

Ms Mordaunt's intervention followed growing complaints from Tory MPs about the use of woke language by public bodies.

Sir John has also called for action to tackle 'pernicious political correctness' in public life.

The chairman of the Common Sense Group of Tory MPs criticised the Environment Agency for removing terms like 'mother' and 'father' from its documents.

'It sounds like nonsense, but it is actually much more sinister. Free speech is at stake,' he said previously.

MailOnline has contacted VisitBritain for further comment.