It comes after TTG’s Save Travel campaign, which saw more than 11,000 consumers and travel professionals urging transport secretary Grant Shapps and chancellor Rishi Sunak to provide urgent support for the sector.
Save Future Travel’s petition needs 10,000 signatures for the government to respond, and 100,000 to be discussed in Parliament.
It petition says: “The government should urgently consider the Save Future Travel Coalition’s plan to support travel businesses and protect jobs and calls for:
* A fully regionalised quarantine policy
* Introduction of testing
* Review of the Job Support Scheme
* Recovery grants for SMEs and travel businesses that missed out on previous support
* APD relief for summer 2021 to boost demand
Luke Petherbridge, Abta’s director of public affairs said: “The Save Future Travel petition builds on the work Abta and the other Coalition partners have been doing over the recent weeks to put the industry’s case to government ministers and officials about the desperate need for tailored support for the travel industry.
“It also supports the ongoing efforts of industry representatives who are using our template emails to reach out to their local MPs, and will further raise awareness of our plight.
Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association President Joanne Dooey emphasised the need for urgency on the part of the government: “I cannot stress highly enough the seriousness of the current plight of the travel industry, and I urge the government to act decisively and positively before it is too late.”
The petition is available to sign at: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/552725
