Travel's plea to make youth mobility 'a priority' lands with nearly 30 MPs
Harry KembleNearly 30 MPs attended a youth mobility drop-in event at parliament on Tuesday (10 December) organised by UKinbound and Abta, highlighting the mutual importance of enhancing opportunities for young people from the UK and their European peers.
Abta revealed there had been a 69% drop in UK nationals occupying tourism support roles within the EU since Brexit, which ended British firms’ ability to "post" workers abroad – particularly youngsters and seasonal workers.
Both associations want the government to expand the existing Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) provisions into Europe to make arrangements with EU countries, either bilaterally or on a pan-EU basis.
They argue youth mobility agreements with countries such as France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands “would help to grow tourism and restore lost opportunities for workers in their sectors”.
The drop-in event, which was attended by 28 MPs, is the second of three Abta-UKinbound activities to run. The associations hosted a lunch for six Labour MPs last month and will hold a joint parliamentary reception next year.
YMS is a reciprocal culture exchange programme that gives young people the opportunity to live, work and study in another country. Currently, YMS countries include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Monaco and Hong Kong.
Joss Croft, UKinbound chief executive, said: “Cultural exchange is a fantastic way for young people to experience life in another country, develop life-long affiliations, learn a new language and develop a new skill that will benefit them throughout their career.
“We’re urging the government to make a reciprocal UK-EU Youth Mobility Scheme a priority, either bilaterally or on a pan-EU basis as part of the UK’s review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement in 2026.”
Abta public affairs director Luke Petherbridge added: “It’s been really difficult for our members to recruit the people they need to support their operations across Europe since Brexit.”
In late November, tourism minister Chris Bryant acknowledged the 8,000 or so UK citizens who were previously employed in overseas roles as reps and chalets hosts.
In a subsequent interview with TTG, Bryant insisted the Labour government is keen to resurrect a deal to reopen these opportunities.
Earlier this year, media reports outlined how a deal with the UK on free movement for young people was part of a “three-pillar blueprint” to help the UK government reset its relationship with the European Union.
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