ABTA and SBiT urge Government to press ahead with EU deals, as new research shows overwhelming support for a youth mobility deal
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dhewitt@abta.co.uk Tue, 08/26/2025 - 15:54
ABTA – The Travel Association (ABTA) and Seasonal Businesses in Travel (SBiT) have revealed new research showing strong public support for securing a youth experience deal with the EU, as they urge the government to press ahead with negotiations with the EU following May’s UK-EU Summit.
A new survey, commissioned by ABTA with YouGov, found that 76% of Brits support a deal with the EU to enable young people to work, live, and study overseas for temporary periods. The poll found strong support amongst all voter types, with even 61% of those who voted to the leave the EU in 2016 in favour of a deal on youth mobility.
The associations say this matters for the health of the UK’s outbound travel sector, which brings more than £52bn a year in Gross Value Added to the UK economy, because many of the workers in the industry started their careers in temporary roles overseas and around two-thirds of all UK holidays overseas are taken within the EU annually.
Previous research by ABTA and SBiT, revealed over a third of all workers, and nearly half of industry leaders, worked in similar roles earlier in their careers. There has also been a notable fall in opportunities for young people to find these roles since the UK voted to leave the EU, with the number of UK nationals working in tourism support roles – such as travel reps, having fallen by 69% since then.
The bodies are also asking the government to prioritise several other travel-related areas in future talks with the EU, and notes that the polling found strong support for the economic benefits of closer relations with the EU – with 66% of respondents saying they believe a closer relationship would improve the UK economy. The survey also found majority support for general closer relations with the EU, with 57% in favour versus 12% who felt relations should be more distant1.
Luke Petherbridge, ABTA’s Director of Public Affairs, said:
“We know that travel is one of the most noticeable areas that has been altered by the UK’s departure from the EU – with Brits now having to join different passport queues, and changes to the in-destination experience of UK holidaymakers as it has become harder for travel companies to hire UK staff into Europe.
“We welcomed the UK-EU deal in May. We now need to see progress on the items within the deal, such as enhanced use of egates and, importantly, restoring opportunities for young people from the UK to live and work in the EU, which often is the way people take their first steps into a career in travel. Securing these changes will help the industry to grow and to continue to be successful.” 2
However, the association also says that the government must look to build on the UK-EU agreement in May, by developing further cooperation with the EU to benefit travellers and the industry.
Luke Petherbridge, Director of Public Affairs, continued:
“There are important changes to border arrangements being made by both sides currently, with the UK introducing our Electronic Travel Authority earlier this year, and the EU’s Entry/Exit System going live in October, to be followed by their own pre-travel authorisation system expected in 2026. These changes require ongoing attention to avoid disruption, especially for certain types of travel such as those on school trips.
“Future deals must be reached to avoid new barriers being placed to travel. The polling undertaken this weekend demonstrates that there is strong support for this approach among the UK public.”
Charles Owen, Managing Director at SBIT said:
“The industry has been held back by the lack of mobility arrangements. Whilst some temporary arrangements have been agreed, these are not universal – and are unilateral, so offer little certainty. A UK-EU wide agreement will offer a partial solution, and we’d encourage ministers to get on and do the deal”.
Notes to editors
1 17% say relations should remain the same; 14% don’t know – YouGov poll of 2224 GB adults, conducted 25-26 August 2025
2 Unlocking Travel’s Potential
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,224 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25th - 26th August 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
Young people were defined as aged 18-30, and a temporary period was defined as up to two years.
ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. We’re the largest travel trade body, with over 4,300 travel brands in membership who have a combined annual UK turnover of over £40 billion. We work closely with our members to help raise and maintain standards and build a more sustainable travel industry, and provide travellers with advice, guidance and support.
Our members sign up to a code of conduct and commit to agreed service standards and fair trading. When you need clear travel information, and accurate and impartial advice relating to your trip, we’re here for you. When you book with an ABTA member, reliable advice comes as standard. This means that booking with our members brings peace of mind.
All this together means we help you travel with confidence. www.abta.com
SBiT
Founded in 2016, SBiT is the only trade organisation solely representing outbound seasonal travel businesses. We have over 100 UK corporate members, who are mainly seasonal outbound travel businesses who employ UK citizens to work in Europe for winter or summer seasons. Working with the UK government as well as our EU partners, our aim is to help our member companies develop their businesses in compliance with local regulatory requirements – to the benefit of both. For more information please visit www.sbit.org.uk
Continue reading...
Full Page image
dhewitt@abta.co.uk Tue, 08/26/2025 - 15:54
ABTA – The Travel Association (ABTA) and Seasonal Businesses in Travel (SBiT) have revealed new research showing strong public support for securing a youth experience deal with the EU, as they urge the government to press ahead with negotiations with the EU following May’s UK-EU Summit.
A new survey, commissioned by ABTA with YouGov, found that 76% of Brits support a deal with the EU to enable young people to work, live, and study overseas for temporary periods. The poll found strong support amongst all voter types, with even 61% of those who voted to the leave the EU in 2016 in favour of a deal on youth mobility.
The associations say this matters for the health of the UK’s outbound travel sector, which brings more than £52bn a year in Gross Value Added to the UK economy, because many of the workers in the industry started their careers in temporary roles overseas and around two-thirds of all UK holidays overseas are taken within the EU annually.
Previous research by ABTA and SBiT, revealed over a third of all workers, and nearly half of industry leaders, worked in similar roles earlier in their careers. There has also been a notable fall in opportunities for young people to find these roles since the UK voted to leave the EU, with the number of UK nationals working in tourism support roles – such as travel reps, having fallen by 69% since then.
The bodies are also asking the government to prioritise several other travel-related areas in future talks with the EU, and notes that the polling found strong support for the economic benefits of closer relations with the EU – with 66% of respondents saying they believe a closer relationship would improve the UK economy. The survey also found majority support for general closer relations with the EU, with 57% in favour versus 12% who felt relations should be more distant1.
Luke Petherbridge, ABTA’s Director of Public Affairs, said:
“We know that travel is one of the most noticeable areas that has been altered by the UK’s departure from the EU – with Brits now having to join different passport queues, and changes to the in-destination experience of UK holidaymakers as it has become harder for travel companies to hire UK staff into Europe.
“We welcomed the UK-EU deal in May. We now need to see progress on the items within the deal, such as enhanced use of egates and, importantly, restoring opportunities for young people from the UK to live and work in the EU, which often is the way people take their first steps into a career in travel. Securing these changes will help the industry to grow and to continue to be successful.” 2
However, the association also says that the government must look to build on the UK-EU agreement in May, by developing further cooperation with the EU to benefit travellers and the industry.
Luke Petherbridge, Director of Public Affairs, continued:
“There are important changes to border arrangements being made by both sides currently, with the UK introducing our Electronic Travel Authority earlier this year, and the EU’s Entry/Exit System going live in October, to be followed by their own pre-travel authorisation system expected in 2026. These changes require ongoing attention to avoid disruption, especially for certain types of travel such as those on school trips.
“Future deals must be reached to avoid new barriers being placed to travel. The polling undertaken this weekend demonstrates that there is strong support for this approach among the UK public.”
Charles Owen, Managing Director at SBIT said:
“The industry has been held back by the lack of mobility arrangements. Whilst some temporary arrangements have been agreed, these are not universal – and are unilateral, so offer little certainty. A UK-EU wide agreement will offer a partial solution, and we’d encourage ministers to get on and do the deal”.
Notes to editors
1 17% say relations should remain the same; 14% don’t know – YouGov poll of 2224 GB adults, conducted 25-26 August 2025
2 Unlocking Travel’s Potential
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,224 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25th - 26th August 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
Young people were defined as aged 18-30, and a temporary period was defined as up to two years.
ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. We’re the largest travel trade body, with over 4,300 travel brands in membership who have a combined annual UK turnover of over £40 billion. We work closely with our members to help raise and maintain standards and build a more sustainable travel industry, and provide travellers with advice, guidance and support.
Our members sign up to a code of conduct and commit to agreed service standards and fair trading. When you need clear travel information, and accurate and impartial advice relating to your trip, we’re here for you. When you book with an ABTA member, reliable advice comes as standard. This means that booking with our members brings peace of mind.
All this together means we help you travel with confidence. www.abta.com
SBiT
Founded in 2016, SBiT is the only trade organisation solely representing outbound seasonal travel businesses. We have over 100 UK corporate members, who are mainly seasonal outbound travel businesses who employ UK citizens to work in Europe for winter or summer seasons. Working with the UK government as well as our EU partners, our aim is to help our member companies develop their businesses in compliance with local regulatory requirements – to the benefit of both. For more information please visit www.sbit.org.uk
Continue reading...
