Advantage chief executive Julie Lo Bue-Said said the lobbying partnership would concentrate on agreeing a narrative around key messages, and then taking that to government through the official channels.
Speaking on stage on Friday (25 November) at Aito’s overseas conference in Portugal’s Braga, Lo Bue-Said explained the complexities of communicating with the government owing to the lack of a dedicated minister or secretary of state for outbound travel, meaning the lobby effort had to be directed at multiple departments.
"We really need to elevate the benefits of outbound travel, for example the tax receipts and business benefits," said Lo Bue-Said. "We need to make sure we’re as vocal as we can to represent the SME sector.”
“We [Advantage and Aito] have taken our first steps together in the last couple of months and we will be trying to bang some doors down."
Noel Josephides, Aito’s director of industry affairs, said it was about working with like-minded organisations to find a route to government.
“We have two main asks,” he explained. “It’s a waste of time tackling the government for money. They don’t have it. What we want is a home, a place within government that will back us and understand what we are saying.
Josephides continued: "We want to streamline and simplify the confusing legislation that we’re saddled with,” he said, citing contradictory clauses in the Package Travel Regulations. “We believe at the moment we are pushing an open door.”
’We must get close to MPs’
Aito members were also encouraged to join in with simple efforts to raise the profile of travel within government, such as by speaking to their local MPs.
"We’re not talking about just writing a standard letter and filling in the gaps,” he said. “We have to get close to our local MPs so we create awareness and they remember us.
"Explain to them how you’re a part of the local community and how many people you employ. Get them to come to your offices. If each one of you can do this, it will make an enormous difference on our ability to influence government."
