The UK Outbound Travel Group has announced a significant milestone in its political engagement strategy, achieving over 80 MP visits across its combined membership network since the Group’s establishment in October 2022. This achievement represents one of the most successful cross-industry parliamentary engagement programmes in the travel sector’s history.
The lobbying group, which today comprises leading industry bodies including Advantage, ABTOT, AITO, The Specialist Travel Association Ltd, InteleTravel, TMU Management and Attraction Tickets Ltd, collectively represents over 1,200 small and medium enterprises across the UK travel industry along with more than 36,000 homeworkers.
The organisation has strategically positioned its MP engagement programme as a cornerstone of its advocacy efforts, enabling individual businesses to forge meaningful connections with their local parliamentary representatives and creating a robust network of informed political allies who are now beginning to understand the sector’s vital contribution to local communities and the overall UK economy.
Samantha Bradbury, ABTOT Membership Director, said: “We have been genuinely pleased by the exceptional take-up from ABTOT members in requesting substantive meetings with their MPs. These face-to-face discussions have enabled our businesses to articulate both the opportunities and challenges they encounter in the inbound and outbound travel markets. As significant local employers, essential service providers and heavily regulated SME businesses operating in complex international markets, our members have compelling stories to tell, and MPs are clearly eager to listen.”
Christina Brazier, Head of Industry Affairs at AITO – The Specialist Travel Association Ltd, added: “It’s been truly fantastic to witness such widespread and enthusiastic engagement from our members with their local MPs. These strategic meetings are proving invaluable on multiple fronts – not only in raising critical awareness of the multifaceted challenges faced by specialist travel businesses, but also in cultivating lasting professional relationships that strengthen our industry’s voice and influence in Westminster. The quality of dialogue and depth of understanding we’re achieving is remarkable.”
Commenting on the success of the programme, Oliver Brendon, CEO, Attraction Tickets, continued: “It’s tremendously encouraging to see the group achieve this significant milestone and gain genuine momentum with the MP community across the country. This represents a crucial step forward for our industry’s voice in Westminster and beyond.
“It’s essential that we maintain a multi-layered approach to political engagement. While travel agencies and tour operators at the coalface provide invaluable grassroots perspective and can effectively communicate the day-to-day challenges facing frontline businesses, the travel industry is also home to many business entrepreneurs who bring an equally vital dimension to these conversations supporting innovation and job creation. The entrepreneurial perspective can articulate how regulatory changes affect business growth, international competitiveness, and the sector’s ability to adapt to evolving market conditions.”
One of the latest MP Visits was LibDem MP Munira Wilson’s visit to Sunvil. Speaking about the visit she said: “Sunvil is a wonderful local business in Twickenham, but their contribution reaches far and wide. It was a pleasure to hear first-hand from Noel and Chris about how Sunvil and the sector as a whole contributes to the economy and discuss the challenges facing the industry.”
The UK Outbound Travel Group’s achievement in securing over 80 MP visits represents more than a numerical milestone, it demonstrates the Group’s commitment to proactive political engagement and its success in establishing travel businesses as credible, valuable stakeholders in the national political conversation. As the programme continues to expand, the UK Outbound Travel Group remains focused on leveraging these relationships to advocate for policies that support growth, innovation and sustainability across the UK’s outbound travel sector, ensuring the industry’s voice continued to be further amplified across Government, Ministers, Policymakers and MPs.