Over 60 travel industry leaders have written to Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for the Cabinet Office, encouraging him to pursue youth mobility arrangements between the UK and EU as part of talks to reset the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Travel bosses argue it would help to remove some of the cost and red tape on businesses who are looking to employ UK staff in the EU, and vice versa, and would reopen the industry’s talent pipeline.

Signatories to the letter include TUI, Jet2, DERTOUR UK, ABTA, Tourism Alliance, UK Hospitality, UKinbound and SBiT (see end for full list of organisations).

ABTA and Tourism Alliance – the two trade bodies behind the letter – say employing UK staff abroad has been an operational and expensive nightmare for travel businesses since the UK left the EU.

Many outbound travel businesses have had to alter the holidays they sell to customers or change the service they provide, because they aren’t able to get the UK staff they need.

Similarly, inbound tourism has struggled to get EU workers filling important roles in the UK. Europeans make more 24 million visits a year to the UK¹, and businesses are often reliant on staff with foreign language skills to facilities their trips.

Travel and tourism is a huge economic and employment contributor to the UK economy – worth more than £165bn in annual GVA and supporting more than 3 million jobs right across the country².

Prior to the UK leaving the EU, it was much easier for UK staff to work in destinations as ski chalet hosts, resort reps and tour guides. Research by ABTA and Seasonal Businesses in Travel (SBiT) shows overseas travel roles have fallen by 69% since the UK’s departure from the EU³, and travel companies have had to navigate local employment rules in each country, where they exist, to try to get staff overseas.

The letter from travel industry leaders follows reports that the Chancellor sees the scheme as supporting the UK’s growth agenda, and more than Labour 70 MPs and Peers wrote to the Government to express their support for a UK-EU youth mobility scheme.

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive of ABTA – The Travel Association said:

“A youth mobility arrangement with the EU would be a win-win for the UK.

“A Government focused on driving growth needs to pull those levers that will make it happen – a youth mobility deal is one of them. ABTA research shows international travel to and from the UK could be set to grow strongly in the coming years – with the potential for inbound to grow by 20% and outbound by 15% by 2030⁴.

“It also means we’re offering important opportunities for young people – skills and experiences that can help start and define their careers.”

Richard Toomer, Executive Director of the Tourism Alliance said:

“Youth mobility gives young people valuable opportunity to travel and experience life in other countries and cultures. Allowing EU and UK residents to take advantage of this scheme would be enormously welcomed by many who will go on to have fulfilling careers in travel and tourism, but also in many cases a life-long appreciation and affection for their host country.

“Concluding a YMS deal with the EU should just be one part of a broader move to break down some of the unnecessary barriers to travel that have gone up since Brexit. Sadly, travelling between the two jurisdictions has become more costly, bureaucratic and time-consuming. An EU-UK reset should aim to tackle that too.”

Notes to editors

List of organisations who are signatories on the letter:

1.    ABTA
2.    Tourism Alliance
3.    Active Travel Group,
4.    AliKats Mountain Holidays
5.    Alpes Adventures Ltd
6.    Alpine Elements (iGOSKI)
7.    Association for Events Management Education
8.    Association of Professional Tourist Guides
9.    Bed and Breakfast Association
10.    Black Diamond Lodge
11.    British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums
12.    British Beer and Pub Association & Chair of the Tourism Alliance
13.    British Destinations
14.    British Educational Travel Association
15.    British Guild of Tourist Guides
16.    Caravan and Motorhome Club
17.    Chester Hospitality Association
18.    Chester Zoo 
19.    Consensio Chalets
20.    DERTOUR UK
21.    Destination Cheshire
22.    Destination Plymouth
23.    The Driver Guides Association
24.    English UK
25.    Equity - The School Travel People
26.    F&P Travel
27.    Family Ski Ltd
28.    Federation of Passenger Transport
29.    GIC The Villa Collection
30.    GoToPlaces (Visit Kent/Visit Herts)
31.    Host Savoie Ltd
32.    Inghams and Santa’s Lapland
33.    Institute of Tourist Guiding
34.    Jelly and Ice Cream
35.    Jet2.com & Jet2holidays
36.    Kaluma Ski and The Luxury Chalet Club
37.    Le Ski Ltd
38.    More Mountain
39.    Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance
40.    Orchards Cookery Ltd
41.    Planet Holidays
42.    Première Neige Ski Holidays
43.    SARL Reach4thealps
44.    School Travel Organiser & Group Leisure & Travel
45.    Schools in Europe
46.    Seasonal Business in Travel
47.    Simply Morzine
48.    Ski Elements Ltd
49.    Snowcoach Ltd & Mountain Lodge Hotels Ltd
50.    Ski-Dazzle Ltd 
51.    Skiworld Ltd
52.    Sunvil Holidays
53.    The Alpine Generation Ltd
54.    Premier Cottages
55.    The School Travel Forum
56.    The Scottish Tourism Alliance
57.    Tourism Society
58.    Tourism South East
59.    TUI UK & Ireland
60.    UKEVENTS
61.    UKHospitality
62.    UKinbound
63.    Visit Peak District and Derbyshire
64.    Visit West
65.    Wales Tourism Alliance
66.    YHA
67.    YSE Ltd

¹ https://www.visitbritain.org/research-insights/inbound-visits-and-spend-annual-uk

^2&4ABTA/York Aviation, The Economic Value of Travel and Tourism to the UK Economy in 2023  International Travel: Powering the UK economy | ABTA

³Unlocking Travel’s Potential https://www.abta.com/industry-zone/reports-and-publications/unlocking-travels-potential-importance-uk-eu-mobility-jobs

About ABTA
ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. We’re the largest travel trade body, with over 4,300 travel brands in membership who have a combined annual UK turnover of over £40 billion. We work closely with our members to help raise and maintain standards and build a more sustainable travel industry, and provide travellers with advice, guidance and support.

Our members sign up to a code of conduct and commit to agreed service standards and fair trading. When you need clear travel information, and accurate and impartial advice relating to your trip, we’re here for you. When you book with an ABTA member, reliable advice comes as standard. This means that booking with our members brings peace of mind.

All this together means we help you travel with confidence. www.abta.com

About Tourism Alliance
The Tourism Alliance is the umbrella trade association for the tourism industry. Our 75+ members are trade associations and member associations representing parts of the diverse and disparate tourism eco-system along with and destination management organisations across England.