The Business Travel Association (BTA) has joined calls for
the UK government to implement a number of support measures to save “the vital
business travel industry” from collapsing.
Chief executive Clive Wratten has written letters to
chancellor Rishi Sunak, transport secretary Grant Shapps and business secretary
Alok Sharma to stress the “enormous impact” the Covid-19 outbreak can have on business
travel and the industry’s long-term importance to the country’s economy.
Wratten has requested the government undertake measures such
as making low-cost and easily obtained lines of credit available for businesses
for at least a year or until economic recovery has begun, a three-month
business rates “holiday” with scope to extend for another three months, and a
three-month National Insurance and Pension Contribution payment holiday, again
with scope to extend.
According to the BTA, the UK business travel sector
generates £10 billion in revenue each year and employs more than 12,000 people
across the country. Some travel companies, such as airlines and airports, have
already had to take action such as temporarily laying off staff to save cash as
passenger demand plummets.
Commenting on the situation, Wratten said: “Many travel
management companies have suffered huge losses in revenue and are now facing a
cash flow crisis. These are strong businesses that are vital enablers for the
UK economy, but the sad reality is that many could fail before a demand for
business travel resumes.
“Once this crisis ends, the business travel industry will
play a vital role in the UK’s economic recovery. Business travellers are the
people who forge the deals and build the relationships which make global trade
possible. For our industry to get to this point, we must first weather the
current storm, and we call on the government to help save our industry from
collapse.”