09 Jan
2020

New year, new horizons

The first proper working week of a New Year is a time to look at objectives and identify any potential hurdles along the way. The result of last month’s General Election has given our industry short-term certainty that travel will not be affected by the UK’s departure from the EU on 31 January. The Withdrawal Agreement will be passed by Parliament this month and nothing will change during the transition period in 2020. Although there is much work to do to try and shape what life will look like after this. 

Whatever your personal view, the UK’s departure from the EU after more than 45 years will be a momentous event, and it will create questions in the minds of many travellers. 

That is why ABTA is continuing with our campaign to reassure customers that there will be no changes to flights, trains and ferries on 1 February or in the year ahead. I am sure Members will also be playing their part in spreading the vital message that consumers can continue to book with confidence. 

We know that many customers will be unsure, especially after the government’s high profile Get Ready for Brexit ‘no-deal’ campaign – which raised awareness of some of the risks of an unmanaged exit. For clarity, you can advise customers to look at our website, which has had a significant amount of attention on its Brexit advice page since the election. 

To help Members, ABTA will be updating our Brexit guidance note at the end of the month to outline the issues that remain to be resolved in the coming months. In the meantime, I look forward to working with you in 2020 to embrace and tackle the challenges that confront us to ensure customers continue to travel with confidence.

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive