UK travel industry reacts to new Labour government

UK business travel associations and industry groups are seeking to proactively engage with the newly elected Labour government, following the party’s landslide victory in the general election on Thursday (4 July).

Scott Davies, CEO of the Institute of Travel Management (ITM), said in a statement: “We hope that responsible business travel will be seen and supported by the new government as an essential catalyst of economic prosperity, as well as a direct and indirect employer of hundreds of thousands of UK citizens.”

Echoing this, Business Travel Association CEO Clive Wratten said: “As the new government settles in, we urge ministers to work with industry as they get across their new briefs.

“We are ready to work with all departments to protect and grow business travel as a vital component of our relationships, both economic and professional, around the world,” he added.

Commenting on behalf of the UK Outbound Travel Group, Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of TMC network The Advantage Travel Partnership, said the election result provides “an opportunity for the new government to recognise the benefits and impact of the outbound travel sector more than it has been previously recognised and we are looking forward to building on the meetings we have had to date with the new Labour team”. 

Lo Bue-Said added that the group, led by Advantage, AITO and ABTOT, has invited industry leaders to attend “an industry-wide meeting” to discuss the sector’s political engagement strategy post-election. The meeting is set to take place in London on 16 September, 2024.

The group also expects to continue its UK MP Engagement Program, which involves inviting local MPs to visit members “up and down the country”.