Outbound travel – a catalyst for jobs, growth and wellbeing

ABTA’s latest report on the importance of UK travel demonstrates the vibrancy, resilience and fundamental strength of our industry – with outbound travel now contributing more than £52bn in GVA annually and supporting a total of 818,000 jobs across the UK.

The research also shows that outbound was the fastest growing part of the UK travel and tourism industry emerging from the pandemic – a testament to the priority that the British public continues to place on their annual holidays

At a time of great Geopolitical and trading uncertainty, we face an important moment for the travel industry and the wider UK economy. The UK government has been clear that the number one priority for this parliamentary term will be delivering economic growth. With that in mind, it’s imperative to shine a light on an industry that has too often been a blind spot for successive governments.

This research is clear on the prize available, with projections showing that outbound travel can deliver 20% growth by 2030. If this opportunity is realised, the sector would be worth £62bn in GVA each year to the UK economy and would support an additional 146,000 jobs across the sector and supply chains. But this is only part of the picture – outbound travel also plays a critical role in underpinning the success of other parts of the UK economy, notably the inbound and domestic tourism sectors which are worth a combined £114 billion in spending each year, and which rely upon the critical infrastructure that is sustained by outbound travel passengers.

ABTA is confident that travel can, and will, thrive – but it’s important to be clear that this won’t happen without government attention and support, and policymakers working with us to deliver the policy and tax frameworks that enable the future success of UK travel businesses.

This report outlines what policy support the UK travel industry needs to realise its potential success. It also highlights those barriers that risk holding UK travel businesses back. I urge policymakers to read this report and to work with the industry over the coming years to deliver the foundations necessary for the ongoing success of UK travel.

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive