DIARY OF EVENTS
2017 July 12-13 Serviced Apartment Summit,
Park Plaza, London Victoria
servicedapartmentsummit.com
July 15-19 GBTA Convention, Boston
convention.gbta.org
September 26-28 IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific,
Bangkok Convention Centre
itcma.com
October 11-13 ACTE Global Corporate Travel
Conference, London
acte.org
November 6-8 World Travel Market,
Excel, London
london.wtm.com
November 17 ITM Ireland Conference,
Conrad Hotel, Dublin
itm.org.uk
November 28-30 GBTA Conference, Frankfurt
europeconference.gbta.org
2018
January 22 Business Travel Awards, Grosvenor House Hotel, London
businesstravelawards.com
February 21-22 Business Travel Show,
Olympia London
businesstravelshow.com
March 7-11 ITB Berlin global travel trade show
itb-berlin.de/en
Simone Buckley Chief executive, Institute of Travel Management (ITM)
ITM UPDATE SIMONE BUCKLEY Policy priorities
In an unpredictable environment, we must engage with government to help businesses and their travellers
A
FTER THE UNEXPECTED GENERAL ELECTION RESULT in June which saw prime minister Theresa May just about cling on to power as the Conservatives lost their parliamentary majority, the government is clearly looking to realign its position on Brexit. Negotiations to leave
the European Union will continue to dictate the future of issues important to the travel management sector, such as freedom of movement, and border controls, along with passport and visa issues. Following a rather bruising campaign in which the government chose to pursue the idea of a ‘hard’ Brexit, we have seen the beginning of negotiations, with the European Commission withdrawal team in Brussels and the chancellor Philip Hammond’s own Mansion House speech, both suggesting the government’s policy priorities will remain the same, as business, trade and the economy emerge as the key negotiating factors. In looking to engage with the government, it is important to put
pressure on ministers and officials to promote and defend the interests of the business traveller, and ensure that movement between countries is as simple and efficient as possible. This will ensure the government achieves its overarching aim of helping UK-based companies succeed in the global economy post-Brexit.
As I write this column, talks between the DUP and Conservatives over a parliamentary deal are still taking place. There is, here, an opportunity potentially to revisit policy issues surrounding APD (Air Passenger Duty); an issue which was absent from the main parties’ political manifestos. While the Tories and the DUP are aligned on several key policy areas,
sources suggest that among the DUP’s conditions will be at least a 50 per cent cut – or total abolition – of APD in Northern Ireland. This has direct correlation with the Scottish National Party’s plans to cut air taxes in Scotland. Opportunities to engage on APD, therefore, remain critical to the future of trade in the UK. They should not be ignored.
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BBT July/August 2017
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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