ABTA - The Travel Association has welcomed the announcement from the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) of a Covid support scheme for travel agents.

“Working closely with our Save Future Travel Coalition partners - especially the Association of Northern Ireland Travel Agents - we have been lobbying hard for Northern Ireland’s travel sector to receive specific financial support in light of the massive impact that the pandemic has had on their businesses, with international travel having been severely limited or banned for the past 12 months,” says Luke Petherbridge, Director of Public Affairs, ABTA.  “This is positive news for travel agents – retail or homeworkers – who will now be able to access this additional funding ahead of the travel sector reopening.”

The NIE scheme follows on from the announcement of the Scottish Government, which introduced a travel agents scheme in January. ABTA has confirmed it will continue to call for similar measures across England and Wales, and the association has updated template letters to help agents contact their local representatives following the Budget. Those templates can be accessed at www.abta.com/savefuturetravel.
 
The Northern Ireland scheme includes a flat payment of £10,000 to travel agencies operating from commercial premises, or a £3,500 payment to self-employed travel agents working from home. To be launched on 19 March 2021, the scheme will be open until 26 March 2021 and links to the detail of the scheme and how to apply will be made available by the Executive next week.