admin The UK travel industry has urged the Prime Minister to develop a ‘roadmap’ that will facilitate travel. Several travel organizations and businesses have written to P.M Boris Johnson for a tailored support in order to prevent the loss of jobs and the further decline of the financial standing of the sector.
Drafting the Letter of Demands
It was organized by the Association of British Travel Agents and the Save Future Travel Coalition and its signatories include organizations and businesses across the travel industry, such as Tui, EasyJet Holidays and Airlines UK. Under the current national restrictions, holidays are not permitted anywhere in the UK. International travel is restricted to essential purposes, such as for work, medical appointments, or education. Mr. Johnson will set out his plans for easing lockdown rules on 22 February.
Signatories of the letter have asked for the government’s help to safeguard the livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of people employed in the sector and rebuild the £80bn contribution the sector makes to the UK economy. Already 160,000 jobs have been lost on account of the pandemic, causing the economic output of the sector to drop by 86% for travel and tour operators, while for the aviator sector it fell over 90%.
Suggested Relief Measures
The letter states, “We also know that the recovery of travel is likely to be gradual, which will require the maintenance of flexible furlough support throughout the summer season, as well as other regulatory alleviations and support measures to help businesses meet their fixed costs.” The industry said the government needs to provide tailored financial support to help travel businesses through, including grants that take account of the impact of international travel restrictions, and the extension of other support measures, such as business rates relief, into the next financial year. The letter has appealed to the government to realize that the industry cannot wait for the full roll-out of the vaccination programme. Travel must be facilitated through other modes of certification. It also includes several other pointers and suggestions to restart the sector effectively.
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