Yesterday, I was invited to attend the UK Outbound Travel Group’s first summer reception at the House of Commons.
The group was set up during the pandemic as a vehicle for highlighting the specific needs of the outbound travel industry and the economic benefit that travel agencies and tour operators have across the country.
The evening was introduced by Bambos Charalambous, followed by an outline of the aims of the group by Julia Lo Bue-Said OBE. These include looking at changing school calendars to allow for a more staggered approach to holidays, which would allow for less of a peak at certain times of the year, more support for SMEs, which make up a large proportion of the industry, and more MP visits for travel businesses across the country (where there are travel companies in over 400 constituencies) – note Victoria Collins MP.
Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock MP also gave a short speech, supporting the outbound sector and its contribution to the economy (£over £86 billion).
This also fits in with our aims of the Responsible Travel Advisor Collective, in making sure that growth doesn’t come at the expense of doing the right thing.
