The Business Travel Association (BTA) will launch a manifesto for the sector to coincide with the main political party conferences in October ahead of a general election next year.
BTA chief executive Clive Wratten confirmed the manifesto, entitled ‘A Roadmap for Change’, would be unveiled next month laying out demands for a “seamless and sustainable transport infrastructure that does not compromise the environment”.
Wratten said: “It will set out a roadmap for our sector and the economy that is sustainable.”
Addressing the BTA conference in Antwerp, Wratten highlighted a series of meetings between the association and officials at the Department for Transport, the Foreign Office and Border Force and said: “We’ve added additional Parliamentary engagement for 2024 to raise awareness of the positive power of business travel.”
He argued: “The industry and the BTA have reset this year in comparison to the firefighting of the pandemic. Our focus now is on how the sector fuels the UK economy while working to mitigate the environmental impacts of travel.
“Climate change is increasing the frequency and extremes of events, and it’s important we work to encourage travellers to make more sustainable choices. “
Wratten noted: “The last four years has been a challenge the like of which we’ve never seen. We’re on the way to recovery, but it would be a mistake to think it can’t happen again and not to plan [for that].”
BTA chair Suzanne Horner, chief executive of Gray Dawes, said: “Our voice needs to be louder than it was during the 18 months of Covid. We can’t lose the momentum of that period.”
Amid media reports that the government is considering scrapping plans for the HS2 high-speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester and stopping the line from terminating at London Euston, Wratten argued: “It’s vital the government delivers on HS2 without any additional cuts.”
He insisted the government should also “deliver on the expansion of regional airports”.
However, political commentator Steve Richards warned the BTA conference that Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves “could pull the plug” on HS2, saying: “I wouldn’t rule it out.
“Labour has to find money somewhere and a significant section of the Labour Party sees HS2 as a waste of money.”
Richards also suggested that whoever wins the next election, “questions remain about the scale of HS2”. He warned: “We could end up with a high-speed rail link from Hemel Hempstead to Watford.”