ABTA and UKinbound Bring Travel Industry Together with Tourism Minister at Labour Party Conference

ABTA and UKinbound brought senior representatives from across the travel industry together with politicians at a joint reception at the Labour Party Conference on Sunday, highlighting the economic and employment contribution of international travel to the UK.  

The reception was hosted by Chris Webb MP, MP for Blackpool South and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tourism and Hospitality. Meanwhile, Stephanie Peacock MP for Barnsley South, who is Tourism Minister, delivered a speech at the event, which was attended by more than fifty guests, including industry leaders and senior politicians.  

The event was an opportunity to discuss new figures on the value of international travel’s economic contribution; £88.5 billion to the UK economy in Gross Value Added (GVA), with more than 1.4 million jobs supported across the UK as revealed by ABTA and UKinbound.  

This contribution to the UK economy is underpinned by the interdependencies between inbound and outbound travel, with the success of one supporting the other, and vice versa.  Outbound travel, for example, provides the passenger volumes that sustain international routes and support the success of many regional airports.  

With both sectors having the potential to grow further, industry representatives discussed with MPs the policies that need to be in place, including the competitiveness of UK businesses and employment costs, as well as highlighting barriers to growth such as business rates, Air Passenger Duty and visa costs.  

During the event, host, Chris Webb MP, spoke about his own personal connections to the industry and his passion for championing careers in tourism. He also outlined how he sees a new administration in Downing Street as a renewed opportunity for industry to be heard, and seen as a strategically important part of the economy. Meanwhile, Stephanie Peacock recognised the challenges facing the industry today, but spoke about her intention to engage, build relationships, and to advocate for tourism across government.

Luke Petherbridge, Director of Public Affairs at ABTA – The Travel Association, said:  

“ABTA is pleased to have worked with UKinbound to deliver the tourism reception at this year’s Labour Party Conference. The event was a valuable opportunity to celebrate the hugely important contribution of tourism, and to discuss the important links between inbound and outbound travel with Labour politicians.  

“As part of those discussions, we emphasised the catalytic role that outbound travel has in driving jobs and growth across the entirety of the UK, including by providing the travel volumes that underpin international routes and supporting regional airports across the country.  

“With the new administration focused on growth in every part of the UK, our sector has an important role to play. The travel industry has a strong story to tell about how it stimulates economic activity and provides jobs across the country, and we want to work with Government to ensure the policy environment is in place to support our future success.”  

Joss Croft OBE, CEO, UKinbound, said:  

“We were incredibly proud to host the inaugural Tourism Reception at Labour Party Conference, bringing together UKinbound and ABTA members, travel businesses, parliamentarians and industry stakeholders to champion the contribution travel and tourism make to economies and communities across the UK. The strong attendance and quality of discussion reflected the growing recognition of our sector’s role in supporting jobs, investment and growth across every nation and region.  

“It was particularly valuable to have many of our members in the room, sharing first-hand insights into both the opportunities and challenges facing businesses that welcome international visitors to Britain. Discussions highlighted the importance of ensuring tourism is recognised as a strategic growth sector, with policies that strengthen the UK’s competitiveness, improve international connectivity and support business growth.  

“The visitor economy has an important role to play in delivering the Government’s growth ambitions, generating export earnings, supporting jobs and spreading prosperity across the country. We were encouraged by the engagement from policymakers throughout the evening and look forward to continuing these conversations in the months ahead. Following the success of this inaugural reception, we’ve already pencilled it into the diary for next year.”