THE travel industry needs to put more effort and resources into lobbying if it wants the Government to take it as seriously as it takes airlines, delegates were told in Marbella.
Federation of Tour Operators director-general Andy Cooper said: “As an industry, we put bugger all resource into lobbying.
“Across our industry sector, there is one person at ABTA involved in lobbying. I do a bit. Everyone else does it off the side of their desks.
“If you look at the airline industry, Virgin has three people, British Airways has half a dozen working on lobbying full-time. We cannot expect the level of voice they have. We should be focusing more on this.”
But Low Cost Group chief executive Paul Evans said travel organisations need to agree policy first.
“We all accept that our lobbying is poor,” he said. “Maybe we should divert more resource. But effective lobbying is with a single voice.
“We currently have all of these organisations who are saying something slightly different. We will never be as powerful unless we become united.”
Meanwhile, Travel Counsellors chairman David Speakman said ABTA should use its own resources to finance a lobbying strategy. He said: “ABTA has got £15 million in the pot. It could do some lobbying with that.”