In recent months, numerous industry conferences have discussed what the economic crisis might mean for holiday bookings in 2023. Little, though, has been said about what it means for members of the travel industry.
TTG is shining a spotlight, in the lead up to Christmas, on how people working in travel are coping as the cost of living crisis bites – and it doesn’t make for pretty reading.
One in five tell us they’re considering using a food bank this winter – 4% say they already have. That’s already 4% too many. Meanwhile, a third of readers are so concerned by rising energy bills and inflation they’re preparing to take on a second job.
This is a sector bruised and tired, still emerging from the Covid crisis. But it is also an industry which, whisper it, doesn’t tend to pay as well as other similarly skilled professions.
And it is heartbreaking that, as Abta LifeLine’s Trudie Clements says, some are now “living hand to mouth, making choices whether to put the heating on or to eat, and living off credit cards”.
For those who are struggling, help is available. Abta LifeLine paid out £10,000 in crisis grants in a single week last month. One such applicant is now urging others to seek help and “not bury their heads in the sand” – a pertinent point that should also be heeded by this sector.
Covid presented enormous difficulties, but it also highlighted that when an industry loses its talent, it’s tough to attract people back.
Potential recruits, once lured by travel opportunities, may now rightly point out that a trip abroad won’t pay the bills. Yes, margins are tight in travel and, true, finances are under pressure.
But if this industry wants to avoid another recruitment crisis and ensure its members aren’t “living hand to mouth”, then travel companies must ensure they’re paying their workers as much as they possibly can.
Sophie Griffiths is editor of TTG.
