Further tax and regulation on the horizon

Environmental concerns will lead to further attempts to tax and regulate travel over the next 15 years, ABTA Travel Convention delegates were told by a leading economist.

Douglas McWilliams, chief executive of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, said measures would be needed to counterbalance the impact of the worst polluters on the planet.

The country with the highest emissions level is the US, while China has the fastest growing number of emissions. Neither has signed up to the Kyoto Treaty.

Meanwhile, human rights issues, such as those in Burma and Zimbabwe, would affect travel patterns, while terrorism will remain a problem for the foreseeable future.

The travel industry is likely to be at the forefront of anti-terrorism measures, said McWilliams.

by Jeremy Skidmore