Demands for sector-specific aid have intensified amid tightening border restrictions, with Abta chief Mark Tanzer declaring “the situation has changed”.
Tanzer spoke ahead of government confirmation of the introduction of quarantine hotels for arrivals from a ‘red list’ of 22 countries including Portugal.
Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, Tanzer said: “Members face a continued cash crunch. They have costs and no revenues coming in.
“So in addition to asking the government ‘Can we work together to get a roadmap out of this’, we continue to ask for sector-specific support.”
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He insisted: “Other countries have done this. Italy, France, Australia have identified the travel sector as being very badly impacted and it is now the beneficiary of grant schemes [in these countries].
“We haven’t done that for our travel sector, and we need to.”
Tanzer conceded: “We’ve been at the government on this for a long time. It’s frustrating they don’t take on board the importance of the sector from an employment and from a strategic point of view.
But he insisted: “The situation has changed. We’ve gone into reverse. The urgency of the appeal for support for the sector has increased. So there is a chance the government will respond to that now.
“We’ve seen the government is more open to the arguments of the airports sector and we need to make sure tour operators and travel agents are seen as part of that broad travel sector.”
Tanzer described the Budget on March 3 as “an opportunity” but said: “We don’t have to wait. We’ll be pushing for action as soon as possible.
“We’ll continue to build pressure through MPs and directly with ministers.”
Abta responded to the hotel quarantine announcement on Wednesday (January 27) with a statement saying: “We understand the need to introduce temporary additional restrictions, but this needs to come with support for the jobs and businesses affected and a clear roadmap forward for travel.
“It is now 12 months since the travel industry started to be affected by coronavirus, yet the government has still not provided any tailored financial support to the sector.
“Jobs are being lost at an alarming rate and longstanding businesses have gone to the wall. The lack of financial support targeted at addressing the consequences of international travel restrictions needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
“The introduction of quarantine hotels builds on a mountain of existing measures for travel, and we need to see a clear plan for how these will be lifted.
“The government needs to work with the industry to develop a route forward for re-opening travel.
“The industry cannot wait for the whole UK adult population to be vaccinated before travel restarts. Businesses cannot afford to lose another summer.”
