Advantage Travel Partnership is planning a meeting to discuss next steps for a UK Outbound Travel Forum.
The idea for the forum is to improve the UK travel industry¡¯s profile with Government and ensure the sector is understood by MPs and Government officials.
Alexis Coles Barrasso, a former communications director of the Travel Network and Thomas Cook Group, has been appointed as a consultant to help Advantage lay out the strategy for the forum.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO, Advantage Travel Partnership, said: ¡°Our lack of profile specifically as an outbound sector with UK Government over the last two years of the pandemic has showed us that we need to work considerably harder in making our sector known and understood with MPs and Government officials, in order to influence decision making in the future.?
¡°As an industry we have struggled at getting our collective voice heard during the pandemic and convey the significant contribution outbound travel contributes as an economic and social sector in its own right and how the UK outbound sector underpins airlines, airports and getting travellers on planes, through airports and across borders.
¡°I believe our need in this area is greater now than ever before to ensure we never find ourselves in a position of weakness. The pandemic is far from over for our sector and continues to be one of the first to feel the impact of border closures. Travel businesses remain fragile, in debt and under significant pressure as restrictions across the world in some form continue.
¡°Improving the understanding of the sector and raising the industry¡¯s profile across UK Government is crucial, both to the issues we are facing today and going forward. Building long-term strategic?relationships in Government is vital in providing the access required to effectively engage on all kinds of legislative and regularity issues moving forward.?
¡°Not having a clear holistic framework for this work puts the industry at a complete disadvantage, especially when you consider what sectors such as hospitality have achieved during the pandemic, who have managed to secure a significant level of Government support through their lobbying.¡±
Advantage has been seeking cross-industry support for the forum through its own members, trade associations and other stakeholders.
She added: ¡°There is a considerable appetite for this activity to happen and we would welcome support and input from all areas of the?industry.?We are now in the process of setting up a meeting at Westminster with a select group of interested parties to establish and agree the next steps.¡±
The meeting will take place in London in early March.