UK travel association Abta is consulting its members on alternative ways to deploy staff abroad amid warnings that tour operators’ ability to function could be “radically” impacted when Britain leaves the EU.
Abta is surveying members on the Posted Workers Directive (PWD) – used to deploy UK staff such as holiday reps overseas – and how this could be used if no agreement is reached about foreign workers.
The European Tour Operators Association (Etoa) this week warned that UK travel companies must have the freedom to employ UK nationals in European destinations.
An Etoa survey of 100 members found 80% would find it “difficult to impossible” to replace EU workers with UK equivalents, with language skills a major barrier to buying and selling on the Continent.
An Abta spokesman said: “As well as our reliance on EU workers domestically, UK travel companies also currently deploy UK staff across Europe under the PWD to support their customers while on holiday, for example as travel reps.
“We are surveying our members, working with industry partners including Aito, [insurance firm] MPI Brokers and the ITT, to provide more evidence to policymakers on the importance of the PWD to outbound tourism. Businesses need certainty on such important matters as quickly as possible.”
Etoa chief executive Tom Jenkins said: “Twenty per cent of members are considering relocating. The reciprocity of freedom of movement is coveted and needs to be retained in any Brexit deal.”
But Aito chairman Derek Moore urged caution until Brexit negotiations progress.
“Lots of scenarios could potentially be terrible but we don’t know how it will pan out,” he said. “There’s no point scaremongering.”
The UK government plans to keep visa-free travel to the UK for EU visitors post-Brexit.