Politicians, travel industry leaders and government officials came together at ABTA’s annual Travel Matters conference in Westminster yesterday.
 
As I said in my opening address, ABTA is apolitical in party allegiance, but intensely engaged with the Government and opposition of the day across a very broad range of issues and departments. As such I was pleased we could welcome both the Aviation Minister, Baroness Vere and Shadow Transport Minister, Mike Kane MP to speak at the event. 
 
Baroness Vere talked about some of the areas of focus for her department, including decarbonisation, ATOL reform and how the Government is keeping a very close eye on the EU’s new entry and exit system, to make sure its implementation works not just at the port of Dover, and elsewhere with juxtaposed border controls, but also when UK visitors arrive abroad. This is a topic we’ve certainly been raising with Government.
 
The Minister also reflected on the important relationship Government has with ABTA and how she values the practical solutions we provide to the issues facing the sector.
 
Mike Kane acknowledged the travel industry’s contribution – both to people’s wellbeing and to local and national economies. He said our industry is responsible for two of the happiest weeks in his constituents’ year, and that travel is a key economic driver and an important part of many communities across the UK. Similarly, he was grateful for the work ABTA does engaging with Labour on important issues.
 
The theme of Travel Matters this year was ‘Travel in 2030’, and an area which was heavily discussed was the different entry routes into the travel industry and what they’ll look like in the future.
 
A popular route to entry for many in our sector is working abroad in a travel role – with a new report from ABTA and Seasonal Businesses in Travel, launched at Travel Matters, saying that as many as 49% of senior managers working for businesses in the UK travel sector have conducted an overseas season in the tourism industry.
 
The report finds that there has been a 69% drop in travel staff working in the EU, following the UK’s departure from the European Union – putting this important entry route at risk. As we highlighted yesterday, extending the Youth Mobility Scheme would go some way to addressing this. The full research and policy recommendations can be found at www.abta.com/traveljobsEU   
 
There was also an enthusiastic panel discussion about the Government’s proposed changes to level 3 courses, with all panelists stressing it is paramount the industry comes together to make sure there are suitable college courses in the future. More information on the work ABTA is involved in on this critical issue can be found here. 

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive