TSSA Welcomes Lords Travel Trade Action Call

TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has welcomed calls from the House of Lords for the Government to take further action to save Britain's travel industry - telling Ministers they must "roll up their sleeves" and offer proper support.   

During a debate in the Upper House, Labour Peers demanded Ministers step in with meaningful sector specific support to help Britain’s high street travel agents which have been badly hit by the pandemic.  

TSSA has issued several warnings about the impending demise of Britain’s travel trade as a result of the pandemic. It has repeatedly called for more targeted support, as well as a dedicated Travel Minister after as many as 90,000 jobs were lost in the sector this year.  

Baroness Clark of Kilwinning asked whether “the government will look at a specific strategy for this sector and specific support. The reason the TSSA and many businesses are asking that one Minister has specific responsibility to put forward a strategy for this area is at the moment responsibilities lie across a number of Departments.”  

Lord Bassam of Brighton said there was an “existential threat to high street travel agencies", asking what “additional help could the Government consider giving to this sector?”  

In reply for the Government, Lord Callanan, Parliamentary Under Secretary (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) referred only to existing schemes and said there was “no current plans to appoint a new Travel Minister for the travel sector.” 

Responding to the exchanges in Parliament, Manuel Cortes, said: “It’s not good enough to hear the Government stonewall legitimate and pressing questions about the future of our high street travel agencies and wider travel trade.  

“It’s long past time they rolled their sleeves up and got stuck in. Too many jobs have gone already and glib words in Westminster won’t save livelihoods. A dedicated Minister for Travel backed by a comprehensive sector-specific financial support package is the only way forward. 

“Ministers in both the Commons and the Lords have been told they must act. Our union will not give up this fight until they do what is right for the many workers in our travel trade who badly need support.”