Mark Tanzer said Abta continues to lobby government, officials in Brussels and destination governments on the Brexit priorities for the travel industry.
Last week he wrote to the prime minister, the secretary of state for exiting the EU, shadow ministers in the Labour Party and select MPs to “highlight the increasing concerns relating to the possibility of a no-deal exit”.
It follows a similar communication to all MPs at the end of December.
“While I acknowledged that there has been progress in certain areas covering the immediate impacts of a no deal, especially for aviation, there are policy matters of critical importance that have not been resolved including temporary employment rules for staff working within the EU and tax liabilities,” said Tanzer.
“The purpose of the letter was to ensure awareness of the very detrimental short-term impact of leaving the EU without agreement on the arrangements that will succeed the status quo, and urge the government and parliamentarians to consider and exhaust all alternatives to avoid the no-deal scenario.”
He said Abta continues to meet and speak with officials from different government departments on a daily basis “stressing the need to address matters where lack of clarity is already damaging businesses” and seeking clarification on the issues that affect holidaymakers and business travellers.
Abta will launch another marketing campaign over the coming weeks, directing travellers to Abta’s Brexit advice page, which has had more than 100,000 views.
“There are more votes in parliament this week, and we heard from the prime minister over the weekend that a meaningful vote will be held on 12 March – just over two weeks before we are due to leave the EU,” added Tanzer.
“This means extended uncertainty and it is important Abta members continue to plan for all eventualities.”
An updated version of Abta’s contingency planning guidance will be published later this week.
