Half of all jobs in the business travel sector are at “serious
risk” due to the UK’s 14-day quarantine requirement for international arrivals,
according to a stark warning from Business Travel Association (BTA) chief
executive Clive Wratten.
Speaking yesterday at the BTA’s Virtual Conference, Wratten
raised worries about the prospect that so-called air bridges with other
countries so far seem to be focused on leisure destinations despite a growing
demand for business travel.
“One in two jobs in the business travel sector are at real
risk,” Wratten said. “The blunt force of quarantine has made the UK a closed
island – especially for business travellers – and our government is not
listening carefully enough to the grave challenges our sector is facing. They
need to wake up quickly.”
Wratten’s comments come after the BTA made a proposal to the
government to pilot rapid coronavirus testing on arrival for business
travellers from key destinations so they could avoid the self-isolation period. He continued: “We
have made it very clear to the transport secretary and the home secretary that
travel corridors cannot just focus on tourism. Business travel hotspots such as
Amsterdam, Paris and Hong Kong must be included. Without effective and focused
business travel we will jeopardise the £220 billion our industry contributes to
UK GDP each year.
Wratten has again called on the government to consider
extending the coronavirus job retention scheme for the sector beyond October to
support businesses that will struggle in the face of quarantine.
“The government – and our economy – cannot allow the
destruction of the business travel sector to be a lasting legacy of Covid-19.
Extending the furlough scheme will be both a saviour for our industry’s jobs
and a solid investment in much-needed growth.”