Dozens of coach firms supporting tens of thousands of jobs are at risk of being lost by next spring, wiping almost 10% off the value of the UK’s tourism sector.
That was the warning on Wednesday (2 September) from the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) to the UK’s tourism minister Nigel Huddleston.
In a letter, the CPT said it was vital government recognised the critical role the coach sector plays in the UK tourism industry, contributing to more than 23 million tourism visits a year and contributing £14 billion to the UK economy.
However, the CPT has warned that after bookings for its peak spring and summer travel windows "collapsed" owing to the coronavirus crisis, with bookings not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until summer 2021, four in 10 coach firms firms – supporting 27,000 jobs – could be lost as early as April 2021.
The letter further warns a collapse of the coach travel sector would have a wider impact on the UK tourism industry with jobs across the country that depend on tourism being placed at risk as visitors struggle to visit attractions across the country.
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