17 Oct
2019

The End of the Beginning?

It’s back to earth from The Convention in Tokyo with a Brexit bang. By the end of this weekend at least some things in the political landscape will be clearer. For a long time now there has been a great deal of uncertainty but the Prime Minister is compelled by law – which he has said he will adhere to – to request an extension if the new deal agreed with the EU has not been voted for in the House of Commons by the end of the day on Saturday. 

ABTA, in its regular engagement with the government, has been very vocal about the need to avoid a no-deal Brexit, so should its chances diminish further this weekend it will bring with it a small sigh of relief for now.

 

ABTA has maintained close ties with government departments such as the Department for Transport, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department of Health & Social Care and Her Majesty’s Passport Office so our advice for Members’ customers on passports, travel insurance, driving licences and pets is accurate and up to date in any event. ABTA’s no-deal contingency planning advice for Members, on how it could affect your business, your commercial partners and your people is also available for Members here.

 

ABTA’s Marketing and Media teams have upped the ante in recent weeks to provide practical advice and instil greater confidence among the travelling public about booking holidays and travel arrangements. It is all the more important, given the Thomas Cook failure, that we support consumer confidence in whatever way we can. This has included a national radio and digital advertising campaign and I know many Members have been diligently communicating to their customers too, using advice from our website abta.com/brexit.

 

Whatever happens this week, and in the weeks to come, we’ll be sure to keep you informed about the latest developments, and continue our dialogue with political decision-makers in the UK and Brussels to ensure the voice of our industry is heard.

 

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive