The Package Travel Regulations (PTRs) leave tour operators “too often” as “the insurer of last resort”, Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said has told MPs.
Addressing a UK Outbound Travel Group reception at the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday, Lo Bue-Said said the PTRs left tour operators “repeatedly having to refund thousands of pounds in costs that should be met by insurers, not small businesses” and they “should not be the ‘insurer of last resort’”.
She noted the group represents “over 1,300 independent travel businesses, mainly SMEs, present in more than 400 constituencies in the UK” and highlighted the sector’s £84-billion-a-year contribution to the economy, with “outbound travellers contributing £51 billion to local economies before they leave the country”.
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But Lo Bue-Said argued the sector’s impact “is frequently overlooked” and it faces “rising costs, ongoing employment pressures and the impact of geopolitical crises” following a “hard-won but incomplete” recovery from the pandemic.
She added: “New pressures are emerging. The inflexibility of school term dates continues to concentrate family demand into peak periods, pushing up prices and putting holidays out of reach for many.”
Yet Lo Bue-Said told MPs: “The value of trusted professional advice has never been clearer, because when things go wrong it’s our members who step in offering financial protection, repatriation services [and] the peace of mind no algorithm can replicate.”
She said the group’s members sought “understanding, recognition and consistent support” and outlined “four key asks” of MPs, urging “greater recognition for UK outbound travel as the distinct, valuable sector it is, separate from aviation and the visitor economy.
“Support for SMEs, school calendar reform – consider a redistribution of term dates to help spread demand – and for all MPs who haven’t done a site visit in their constituency to join us on one.”
Lo Bue-Said insisted: “We’re an industry the UK can be proud of and, with the right support, one that has huge growth potential.”
Tourism minister Stephanie Peacock told attendees: “I see how outbound travel drives our soft power. A thriving outbound industry secures the connections that keeps our economy resilient.
“I appreciate you have immense challenges and note your asks of government. The government appreciates your tireless work.”
The Outbound Travel Group includes the Advantage Travel Partnership, Aito – the Specialist Travel Association, Abtot, The Travel Specialist Consultancy, Specialist Holidays Group, PT Trustees, Themis Advisory and Attraction Tickets.
The coalition’s first summer reception at the Houses of Parliament was hosted by Bambos Charalambous MP and attended by 10 MPs and peers including the tourism minister and the chair of the culture, media and sport select committee Caroline Dinenage.
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