Earlier this week we launched a new report, “Making a success of Brexit for travel and tourism” setting out the priorities we have identified for the Brexit negotiations, following feedback from ABTA Members. One of the aims of this report is to promote public debate on the points that we have been making to negotiators and Ministers, and it is good to see that the report has sparked plenty of comment in the national media. It is crucial that members of the travelling public understand what is at stake during the negotiations so that they too can voice their needs and concerns to the Government. It is also important that we continue to think beyond our own borders and consider the effect of Brexit on EU countries. Europe is the main destination for overseas tourism and many EU countries benefit hugely from British visitors, so it’s important for them to secure a deal that facilitates travel and tourism between our countries. We highlight some of these benefits in our report and we will be developing further research in this area to take to Brussels and the EU negotiators over the coming months. Negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU is going to be a mammoth task for the Government and EU decision-makers; for ABTA’s part, we are committed to voicing the priorities and concerns of travel businesses and the travelling public and facilitating progress in whichever way we can.   

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive