Support for the travel industry

Motion Text

That this House acknowledges the struggle of the travel industry as one of the hardest hit sectors by the covid-19 pandemic; appreciates the estimated value of both outbound travel, £37 billion, and inbound travel, £28 billion, to the economy; expresses its concern over the lack of specific support for the thousands of businesses in the travel sector; recognises the unique status of many businesses which only receive payments from guests at the point of departure not at the point of sale; further recognises the considerable economic and personal cost of businesses having healthy savings, pre-pandemic, to having now incurred considerable debt at no fault of their own; realises that many businesses will not survive another summer of restrictions without specific support; acknowledges that businesses need clarity and time to prepare for the imposition of quarantine restrictions on international travel; notes the impact of erratic changes to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice on consumer confidence and insurance coverage; further notes calls from the travel industry on the importance of a four nations approach when imposing restrictions; and calls on the Government to make funding available to address the specific needs of the travel sector.