ABTA has written to UK transport
secretary Grant Shapps ahead of the 31 July review of international
travel calling for the Government to open up travel to more destinations, make
foreign travel easier for UK citizens and support the industry through to
recovery.
The letter stresses the ongoing need for the Government to
provide a package of tailored financial support for the industry, including
extension of furlough support and business rates relief at current levels,
along with a grant scheme to help them get through the very difficult weeks and
months ahead.
The letter also
calls on Government to:
- Make further progress on testing being more affordable and
proportionate, including removing post-arrival testing for green list
countries, or at very least use of lateral flow testing for those destinations.
- Add more destinations to the green list, as other countries
begin to make significant progress with their own vaccine programme rollouts.
- Progress mutual recognition of vaccination certification
systems, especially with key markets such as the EU and US.
- Introduce an additional checkpoint review of the requirements
for international travel at the end of August – waiting until the end of
October is too long during what is such a critical period for the industry.
Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at ABTA said: “We
agree with the aviation minister’s comments earlier this week that the best way
of supporting the industry is to enable businesses to trade their way to
recovery, but it is increasingly clear that the Government is failing to
provide the predictability and stability required to rebuild consumer
confidence and bring about the necessary conditions for a recovery.
“The Government must take action to support the travel industry
– which is not only important in terms of jobs and contributions to the
economy, but also the UK’s wider recovery from the pandemic. We’re a global
nation and our international connectivity underpins this.”