Travel agent action group Target hopes to put pressure on Rishi Sunak to listen to the travel industry’s needs through a Twitterstorm ahead of his appearance on start-up TV channel GB News.
The chancellor will be interviewed on the new channel at 8pm this evening by former BBC journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil, chairman of GB News, which launched this week. It will be the first major political interview on the channel.
The group, Travel Agent Reform Group Engaged Together (Target), is hoping to use Twitter to influence the questions that are put to the chancellor by tagging Sunak in a series of posts by its members.
Graeme Brett, co founder of Target, which now has 2,000 members, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to try to influence the questions that the chancellor has asked.
“For too long the travel bodies have waited to be called by the media. We need to be setting the agenda and trying to be influencing the news. We need to reach new audiences.”
Fellow co-founder Jill Waite urged travel agents and staff in the travel industry to tweet the following posts:
No holidays to sell. No income. Loans to repay. Furlough ending. Travel needs Sector Specific Support. @afneil
please challenge @RishiSunak
on @GBNEWS
@target40629875
#TargetTravelAgents— HIGH RIDINGS TRAVEL (@HIGHRIDINGS) June 16, 2021
and
The travel industry has been decimated yet we are denied targeted sector specific support. @afneil will you please stand up for the travel industry and challenge @RishiSunak to support us and save our businesses @GBNEWS@target40629875#TargetTravelAgents#SaveTravel
— HIGH RIDINGS TRAVEL (@HIGHRIDINGS) June 16, 2021
The moves come ahead of next week’s planned Travel Day of Action, organised by the Save Future Travel Coaliltion.
The travel trade is planning events and social media activity on June 23 to put pressure on the government to restart international travel safely and give tailored financial support to the sector.