BTA: 'Up to 10,000 business travel jobs at risk'

The association also notes in its letter that while some sectors, such as hospitality, have benefitted from dedicated government support, business travel – and the wider travel sector – has not.

TTG’s #SaveTravel campaign, launched last week, is seeking sector-specific support for the travel sector in its entirety, including an APD holiday until the end of August 2021.

The BTA’s parachute package proposals include:

• Repayable business support – financial support to cover 60% of salaries of employees in business travel companies (TMCs) until at least the end of 2020. This will then be repaid by those companies through 10% of profits each quarter;
• Business rates holiday – a 12-month business rates holiday to provide firms with vitally needed liquidity;
• Temporary APD reduction – a temporary, 12-month suspension of APD to provide an immediate stimulus for travel, with premium economy (popular with many cost-conscious business travellers) no longer taxed in the same band as first and business class. When the tax is restored in a year’s time, the BTA is also calling for the government to ring fence 50% of it for investment in environmental measures, such as the development of aviation biofuels