A coalition of ten travel industry bodies including the BTA, ABTA and the SPAA has issued a new petition calling on the government to provide tailored support for the travel industry in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, as BTN Europe was first to publish.

The Save Future Travel Coalition has today launched a petition calling on the government to adopt a five-point plan to support travel businesses and protect jobs.

It asks for:

• A fully regionalised quarantine policy
• The introduction of airport testing
• A review of the Job Support Scheme
• Recovery grants for SMEs and travel businesses that missed out on previous support
• Air Passenger Duty relief for summer 2021 to boost demand

The coalition said in a statement: “The Winter Economy Plan will not save travel. The UK has a world-leading travel industry, which in ordinary times supports over 100 million trips annually (inbound and outbound). Businesses in the sector make an economic contribution of more than £60bn every year and employ close to one million people across the UK. However, the travel industry has been among the hardest hit by Covid-19, with measures to control the pandemic denting confidence in travel and delaying the recovery of the sector.”

Members of the associations are being encouraged to write to their MPs, with template letters available at abta.com/savefuturetravel.

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 (SPAA) president Joanne Dooey added: “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 needs 10,000 signatures for the Government to respond, and 100,000 signatures to be discussed in parliament.

Photo Credit: Pixabay/Dan Johnston