Under-secretary of state for sport, tourism and heritage Tracey Crouch and mayor of London Boris Johnson were among the keynote speakers at the 2015 Hospitality & Tourism Summit, where jobs creation was high on the agenda.

Organised by the British Hospitality Association (BHA) the summit brought together an audience of business leaders, politicians and advisers to explore how the industry and government can respond to an increasingly competitive global economic landscape to nurture the success of the UK through the potential of hospitality and tourism.

Addressing the 700 CEOs gathered for the summit, Johnson said the hospitality sector plays a vital role in getting people into employment, especially in London.

“We should be proud of the jobs that the hospitality and tourism sector is creating. These are not dead jobs but stepping stones and rungs on the ladder for thousands of people," he said.

"The culture of hospitality is changing the atmosphere and the culture of work here in London. We are the hospitality capital of the world. London is the most visited city in the world second year running and we expect 18.8 million visitors this year.”

Meanwhile, Crouch paid tribute to the hospitality and tourism sector's significant contribution to driving the economy. She said that the hard work of the hospitality and tourism industry made 2014 a record-breaking year for inbound visitors and spend. She noted that there were more than 34 million visits with almost £22bn spent in local economies across the country.

Speaking ahead of the event, BHA chief executive Ufi Ibrahim said the organisation's mission is to grow the size of the prize for the UK hospitality and tourism industry – adding more visitors, more investment and more careers.

“Now more than ever we seek to secure the commitment of government, influencers and the community to help us win on key issues for the industry," said Ibrahim.

"We have proof that this works – with strength in numbers we achieved a major breakthrough on improved visa access for Chinese tourists. We remain focused on delivering progress on price competitiveness (VAT), digital competitiveness, obtuse planning regulations, skills shortages and employment legislation.”

The one-day summit offered an engaging and diverse agenda exploring economics, finance, food policy, digital commerce, talent and leadership with prominent speakers from within the industry and external stakeholders such as the European Commission, Food Standards Agency, Welsh Government, Northern Ireland Government, PwC, Barclays, Nestlé Professional, Sky, Expedia, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, TripAdvisor, Google and Discover Financial Services.