Concerns that the lobbying efforts of the travel industry may have to be redoubled if they are to have any impact on the UK’s new coalition government have been dismissed by recently-appointed Abta board adviser Christine Farnish.
Abta has been ramping up its lobbying efforts in recent months with issues such as APD and Atol reform at the top of its agenda. It also published its Travel Matters manifesto ahead of the general election.
Farnish, who has been group public policy director for Barclays since 2006 and who was elected to the Abta board as an adviser last month, insisted the association would be able to get its views heard in government.
“A coalition government is going to have exactly the same problems as if a single party had won,” she said.
“It is all about the economy, making sure British companies are successful, creating jobs and dealing with the deficit.
“As long as we can get in there and hit the right buttons at the right times then we’ll get a lot of support.”
Farnish, who will be taking part in the How Do We Win our Arguments with Government? session, added the industry also needed to focus on lobbying the European Parliament to ensure British companies are able to compete with overseas rivals.
“Many of the laws now come from Brussels and there’s a real opportunity to try and make sure that members of the European Parliament and the European Commission are aware of when people are cheating or not playing by the rules,” she said.
Farnish said Abta was well placed to tackle these issues, adding: “Abta is a well-known brand.
“There’s room to build on that as the market changes and as we face new threats, whether it is a volcano or the chancellor raising taxes.”