The review of the Package Travel Regulations could take “slightly longer” than previously thought because the new government is focused on other priorities, Aito members have been told.
Craig Belsham, assistant director for partnerships and the international consumer team at the Department for Business and Trade, hinted at a potential delay to the PTRs review at the autumn annual general meeting of The Specialist Travel Association.
The DBT, which is reviewing the PTRs, received more than 150 responses to its call for evidence in September last year on proposals to reform the UK version of the existing Package Travel Directive. Since then it has sought consumer views on financial protection to use alongside the industry responses as part of its review.
Giving an update on the review since Labour came to power, Belsham admitted: “I would not want to describe our work as a game of snakes and ladders but priorities shift with a new government; so we have not got the immediate focus of ministers on the PTRs.
“I think we are looking at a longer time because of where the government focus is. The immediate focus in the department is on employment rights and I think that will be the case for the next few months.”
He said the general election and change of government had slowed down the process, but remained confident the DBT would be able to bring the review to ministers’ attention once the focus had shifted.
He said: “We are hopeful that when we have got the results of the consumer research and some of the other workshops that we have been doing that gives us an excuse to go back to the ministers and update them and see how they see the future of the PTRs going forward.”
He stressed the lack of current focus on the PTRs should not be taken to mean the government was not interested in the industry, and agreed there might be scope in future to get the sector’s voice “heard more broadly” at government level.
“It doesn’t mean we are ignoring your needs. We have tried in the last five or six years to be visible and engaging with the industry. We are not actively not listening,” he insisted.
His comments came as Travel Trade Consultancy director Martin Alcock said he believed the travel sector, and in particular the PTRs review, had “slipped down the radar” under the new Labour government.
“My sense is that the urgency has gone away. There are lots of prioritises and this is not one of them. I think it’s been deprioritised,” he said. “I think there is a bunch of sensible things in the proposals but all of them seem on the backburner.”
But he added: “I don’t think we should stand around waiting; we should get on with things.”
The Firebird Partnership director Chris Thompson agreed: “We need to crack on; we cannot let what may or may not happen affect how we govern. Crack on with what you think is best given the information that you have now.”
Thompson said the government had already stated it was supportive of SMEs, but on the general outlook admitted concerns about consumer confidence longer term.
“There is ‘twitchiness’ and uncertainty until we get past the budget on October 30,” he added.
Photo: Stephen Norman/Shutterstock.com