'Travel has never been fully strategically aligned with Westminster'
The travel industry has shown its resilience, once again, by getting through Covid largely in one piece, albeit with many agents and operators emerging from the pandemic saddled with debts that will prove a burden for years to come. Many would say this is stealth, rather than design, by the government.
As chief executive of a fast-growing luxury-focused tour operator and agency, I have a broad insight into the industry’s dialogue with the government, and the issues travel had attempting to speak with one voice.
While the majority of industries are controlled by one single government department or ministry, the responsibility for outbound tourism is spread across many, and that has added complexity to lobbying efforts.
In my 25 years in this industry, I can’t remember a time when there was full strategic alignment with Westminster. But that isn’t entirely the government’s fault; travel and tourism is a broad church, and stakeholders’ ideal outcomes differ.
A change of government will only improve things if it chooses to prioritise travel and tourism, which is unlikely owing to the optics around emissions and sustainability – however unfair that is.
We need to recognise the government did do some things to support our sector – backing refund credit notes through the CAA kept the industry solvent, as did loans to businesses and furlough payments. They listened, then chose to prioritise other areas.
Maybe travel and tourism spend streaking ahead of other sectors last year [2023] in terms of growth will highlight [to the government] the importance of holidays to the public, even if its contribution to GDP and support for 500,000 jobs doesn’t. Let’s hope the next government is listening more closely.
Alistair Rowland is chief executive of Blue Bay Travel.
'Government's lack of understanding of travel was clear during Covid'
With the chance of a change in government on the horizon, it becomes increasingly imperative we bolster our lobbying efforts if we are to elevate the industry’s profile – not only within Westminster, but also across the devolved nations, as well as draw political attention to the myriad issues facing our sector.
The acting minister for tourism, John Whittingdale MP, recently said the industry’s previous failure to speak to the government with a single voice was “a challenge identified”.
I believe things have changed as a result of the concerted efforts of Aito and the Advantage Travel Partnership over the past 12 months, but while it’s gratifying to read his comments, our work is far from done.
With Abtot joining our collective effort, our lobbying power and impact will be significantly enhanced. We can make an even stronger and more effective case for the UK outbound travel industry.
During the pandemic, the lack of recognition and understanding by the government of our industry was clear – and we ignore this going forward at our peril. Unlike our colleagues in the aviation, hospitality and cruise sectors, all of whom have established and robust lobbying bodies, the UK outbound travel industry has not made the same investment and so lacks the same clout or visibility.
We need to align across sectors on key business issues and speak with clarity on industry-related matters. Lobbying is about our ability to influence and shape policies before the policy comes to fruition. Regardless of which government is in power, it’s the industry’s job to educate and ensure it does so in order to thrive for future generations to come.
Julia Lo Bue-Said is chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership.
'A cohesive voice for travel and tourism has never been more important'
In short: no, we don’t need a change of government. We can’t pin the future prosperity of the second- largest export sector – inbound tourism – on a specific government. But we can ensure our industry is ready for change and embrace whoever is in power.
Research by Abta and UKinbound has shown inbound tourism to the UK has the ability to grow by 20% by 2027, which would bring immediate and significant economic growth to all four corners of the UK, something we hope would be championed by all political parties.
The industry can deliver this growth and, with government support, exceed it. Reintroducing tax-free shopping, creating a new low-cost, five-year visitor visa, tweaking the earnings threshold for skilled international workers coming to the UK – we need to continue highlighting policies that damage our industry and present workable solutions, with data-led evidence that benefit the whole of the UK. This will continue to be the case no matter who is at Number 10.
In times of change, a cohesive voice for travel and tourism will be even more important. What benefits inbound tourism most often also benefits UK outbound and domestic tourism. It’s vital we continue to highlight these links to government, and work with other associations and bodies to present a united stance.
It’s almost certain that in 2024, we’ll have a new tourism minister, whoever wins the election, plus new ministers in the Department for Transport, Home Office, HM Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade. Our job, however, will remain the same: to educate them, and showcase the value and the many opportunities inbound tourism brings to the UK.
Joss Croft is chief executive of UKinbound.
