ABTA ramps up Brexit activity
ABTA is ramping up its Brexit activity to prepare members for a no-deal exit on October 31.
Speaking at this week’s Travel Matters Conference in London, Luke Petherbridge, ABTA’s head of public affairs, said it had taken the lead from the Government.
"The Government has been ramping up its efforts and that’s an important signal for us to ramp up ours too," he said.
"We haven’t stopped speaking to the Government and to member states and engaging with them in a very proactive manner, but things have now ramped up."
He said ABTA has updated its guidance on what a no-deal Brexit might mean for members.
He said British businesses, especially in travel, need a regime which allows the flexibility they have today with regards to hiring talent from overseas.
Petherbridge also confirmed to delegates that with the Parliamentary recess starting just as a new Tory party leader is elected, this would leave only three weeks to make any progress on Brexit and for six bills to go through Parliament.
"There is not a lot of time to do that," he said.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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