Nothing has been clearer from the new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, or his Government than the message that, come what may, we shall be leaving the European Union on 31 October 2019.
 
While much needs to happen between now and then, and there is also the role of Parliament to consider, from a business perspective it’s important we heed this message and take steps to prepare for all eventualities.
 
For almost a year now, ABTA has been supporting Members to get preparations in place for when the UK leaves the EU. Our contingency planning guidance for a no-deal Brexit, now on its 12th version, captures the latest developments and guidance to help Members put together a framework to manage the impact of exiting the EU.
 
The two false starts of Brexit – 29 March and 12 April – mean that many travel companies will have advanced plans in place. If that’s the case for your business, it’s important that you keep your plans under review as there have been, and there will still likely be, further developments on particular matters. 
 
If your planning is still in its infancy, we’d certainly encourage you to take the time now to look at just what leaving the EU means for your business operations. Brexit will undoubtedly have some sort of impact – whether that’s on your customers in terms of steps they may need to take if we leave without a deal (summarised on abta.com/Brexit), the implications for operating your holidays, how you recruit your workforce or the impact of currency fluctuations. Planning for these things now is essential in order to mitigate potential problems in the future.
 
As well as supporting Members with their contingency planning, we are continuing to lobby the UK Government, destination governments, and the EU on the priorities for the UK travel industry, particularly around ensuring good travel links and the ability for businesses to post staff abroad. We will continue to remind all stakeholders that our strong preference is for a managed outcome, which would enable businesses time to adapt to future changes in the relationship between the UK and EU.

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive