05 Nov
2020

ABTA responds to the Chancellor’s announcement on financial support for businesses

ABTA – The Travel Association has said the Government needs to step up and support the UK travel industry, following the Chancellor’s announcement today.

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

“It is time this Government stepped up and supported the UK travel industry. Other sectors who have been hit hard by the pandemic have received tailored support from the Government – but travel has been left waiting in spite of clear evidence of the harm that is being done.  

“While the extension of furlough may seem positive on the face of it, it needs to be much more flexible for it to make a difference to jobs and businesses in the travel sector. Taking into account that staff will have to work on re-bookings and refunds but won’t be generating any income.

“Without the flexibility in furlough and tailored support for the sector, travel agents and tour operators face more brutal months ahead with little or no ability to sell holidays but mounting costs and rising redundancies.”

 

Notes to editors
ABTA has been a trusted travel brand for 70 years. Our purpose is to help our Members to grow their businesses successfully and sustainably, and to help their customers travel with confidence. 
The ABTA brand stands for support, protection and expertise. This means consumers have confidence in ABTA and a strong trust in ABTA Members. These qualities are core to us as they ensure that holidaymakers remain confident in the holiday products that they buy from our Members. 

We help our Members and their customers navigate through today's changing travel landscape by raising standards in the industry; offering schemes of financial protection; providing an independent complaints resolution service should something go wrong; giving guidance on issues from sustainability to health and safety and by presenting a united voice to government to ensure the industry and the public get a fair deal.

ABTA has more than 4,300 travel brands in Membership, providing a wide range of leisure and business travel services, with a combined annual UK turnover of £39 billion. For more details about what we do, what being an ABTA Member means and how we help the British public travel with confidence visit www.abta.com.