Yesterday the Prime Minister delivered the news the nation has been waiting for – the next General Election will be held on 4 July. In preparation for this announcement, ABTA has been doing a great deal of work to engage with MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates, setting out the travel industry’s priorities for the next Government.

We know the next Parliament will make critical decisions that will shape the future of our industry, including on investments in the development of the domestic sustainable aviation fuels industry, setting the emissions rules for aviation and cruise, reforming education provision, and addressing our future relationship with the European Union. It’s important the Government knows and understands the industry’s views on these issues. 

ABTA is already a well-respected and authoritative voice with government and politicians – representing members’ views and interests. To maintain and further enhance our position, we will continue with our programme of engagement and will be contacting all candidates across the country to share our own data and evidence on the importance of travel, as set out in our Manifesto for Travel and Tourism. 

The voice of local businesses is especially important to prospective candidates and I would urge everyone in the industry to speak up and have their voices heard. Now is the time for members to engage with candidates to make sure they recognise the importance of our industry in terms of both the economic and employment contribution we bring to communities across the country. We have materials available to do that, including a template letter, which you can find at www.abta.com/TravelAndTourismMatters. 

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive