ABTA Discussions with MPs and Lords Top 250 for the Parliamentary Year

In Brief: ABTA reported holding over 250 meetings with Members of Parliament and Lords during the Parliamentary year, reflecting intensified efforts to influence legislative and regulatory decisions affecting the UK travel and hospitality sectors.

Further engagement planned as Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister

ABTA has set out how it plans to support members in discussions with MPs between now and September, as it confirmed that discussions have been held with over 250 Parliamentarians in the past 12 months.

ABTA will be organising an active programme of member visits with MPs over the summer, which will be followed by a reception, hosted by ABTA together with UKinbound, at the Labour Party conference in September.

This engagement programme will be in addition to continuing activity with civil servants, advisors and Government bodies, as well as with ministers new in post following the announcement of Andy Burnham’s first Government this week.

The Parliamentary year concluded on Thursday 16 July, during which ABTA saw nearly 100 Parliamentarians in person, and delivered briefings for a further 160.

The in-person meetings have included the Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock MP; the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander MP on a visit to her local ABTA member store; the Minister for EU Relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds MP; and Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Nigel Huddleston MP.

ABTA covered several topics with the potential to affect its members’ businesses, including the review of the Package Travel Regulations, a new Tourism Growth Strategy, the EU’s Entry Exit system (EES), legislation on sustainable aviation fuels, and the English visitor levy. ABTA has also been at the forefront of efforts to secure Government support for a new UK-EU youth mobility agreement.

As well as having a continuing focus on these issues, ABTA will also make contact and build relations with new Government ministers and their advisors so that the value of outbound travel is recognised in the development of future policy.

Luke Petherbridge, ABTA’s Director of Public Affairs, said: “Real influence comes when there is a balanced and sustained public affairs programme, where we communicate the needs of ABTA members and the value of the outbound tourism sector to Ministers, MPs and Lords, as well as civil servants, advisors and other policy

“As the UK’s next Prime Minister starts his work, we will continue ours, communicating to Government the best policy environment in which our industry can thrive, and contribute to the UK’s economic growth.”