Abta chief Mark Tanzer has called on Conservative leadership rivals Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to “ensure a prosperous future” for the travel sector.
In letters to both candidates, Tanzer outlined a number of areas in which the industry needs support and emphasised the sector’s value to the UK economy in supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Tanzer revealed he had written to Truss and Sunak while speaking on a panel session during TTG’s latest Agenda 2022 seminar on Thursday (28 July)
The letters also urge “constructive and ongoing dialogue” between industry leaders and Westminster is maintained in order for the travel sector to “grasp the opportunities that lie ahead”.
Abta has also reiterated its call for “clear ministerial responsibility” to bring together the multiple strands of policy and government departments which impact international travel into a single brief.
Tanzer said: “The current travel landscape shows just how important it is that Abta continues to impress on all politicians the value of the UK’s international travel industry to the UK economy.
“The political changes present an opportunity to reiterate what we need from this government to ensure a prosperous and sustainable industry, and how we need to work together to achieve this.
Abta also raised the industry’s commitment to achieving net-zero in line with the Department for Transport’s Jet Zero Strategy and delivery of airspace modernisation as priorities, as well as finding “workable solutions” to UK-EU labour challenges alongside other Brexit-related issues.
“Our engagement with the candidates for prime minster builds on our ongoing work with government, including recent meetings with minsters and our work with officials and MPs from across all parties,” Tanzer added.
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