Inbound and outbound equally important says Tourism Minister
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simplesamlphp_… Thu, 06/12/2025 - 12:04
If you were in any doubt as to whether the Tourism Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, valued the outbound travel industry – and the hard work you put in day in, day out to get people on holiday safely - his comments at ABTA’s Travel Matters event this week would have given you great comfort!
In his address yesterday he told the audience of over 120 industry leaders that “you work in the greatest industry on earth.” The Minister’s speech also went on to recognise the importance of outbound travel in providing jobs and supporting the economy, as shown in ABTA’s latest research on the value of travel – contributing £52bn to the economy and employing people in 818,000 jobs across the UK.
The Minister made the very pertinent point that outbound travel is as important as inbound. As I mention in the forward of ABTA’s new report on outbound travel , this fact has often been overlooked by successive governments.
ABTA is celebrating our 75th anniversary this year, and the Minister pointed out how travel has changed over the decades since we were founded, saying that travel is now for everybody. The importance of making sure travel remains for all, not the few, is something we continue to impress on Government, particularly in relation to the layering of taxes which add to the customers’ cost.
The Minister expressed a very positive outlook for our industry - outbound, inbound and domestic -and made clear his desire to partner with the industry to help it grow and thrive. Our newly published research shows that travel has the potential to grow 20% by 2030, given Government support, and our report sets out a policy framework for that collaboration.
It was also inspiring to hear from Dame Irene Hays at the conference. She talked about the importance of investing in industry and developing opportunities for people to enter the sector - at any age and at any stage of their lives. This really resonated with me as we continue to promote travel as a career for the future.
My final reflection on yesterday’s event is on the importance of the nations and regions. ABTA’s report highlights the critical part outbound travel plays in supporting regional airports, and both the Tourism Minister and Dame Irene acknowledged the role tourism plays – inbound and outbound - in providing jobs and supporting local economies across the country.
I also just want to take a moment to say that we are very saddened by the news of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad and our thoughts are with those affected. ABTA’s destinations team is monitoring the situation and providing updates via the operational bulletin service.
Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive
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Full Page image
simplesamlphp_… Thu, 06/12/2025 - 12:04
If you were in any doubt as to whether the Tourism Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, valued the outbound travel industry – and the hard work you put in day in, day out to get people on holiday safely - his comments at ABTA’s Travel Matters event this week would have given you great comfort!
In his address yesterday he told the audience of over 120 industry leaders that “you work in the greatest industry on earth.” The Minister’s speech also went on to recognise the importance of outbound travel in providing jobs and supporting the economy, as shown in ABTA’s latest research on the value of travel – contributing £52bn to the economy and employing people in 818,000 jobs across the UK.
The Minister made the very pertinent point that outbound travel is as important as inbound. As I mention in the forward of ABTA’s new report on outbound travel , this fact has often been overlooked by successive governments.
ABTA is celebrating our 75th anniversary this year, and the Minister pointed out how travel has changed over the decades since we were founded, saying that travel is now for everybody. The importance of making sure travel remains for all, not the few, is something we continue to impress on Government, particularly in relation to the layering of taxes which add to the customers’ cost.
The Minister expressed a very positive outlook for our industry - outbound, inbound and domestic -and made clear his desire to partner with the industry to help it grow and thrive. Our newly published research shows that travel has the potential to grow 20% by 2030, given Government support, and our report sets out a policy framework for that collaboration.
It was also inspiring to hear from Dame Irene Hays at the conference. She talked about the importance of investing in industry and developing opportunities for people to enter the sector - at any age and at any stage of their lives. This really resonated with me as we continue to promote travel as a career for the future.
My final reflection on yesterday’s event is on the importance of the nations and regions. ABTA’s report highlights the critical part outbound travel plays in supporting regional airports, and both the Tourism Minister and Dame Irene acknowledged the role tourism plays – inbound and outbound - in providing jobs and supporting local economies across the country.
I also just want to take a moment to say that we are very saddened by the news of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad and our thoughts are with those affected. ABTA’s destinations team is monitoring the situation and providing updates via the operational bulletin service.
Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive
Continue reading...
