NEWS TRAVEL WEEKLY BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM THE BACK
Petherbridge said: “We’ve made progress on our key priorities. We have arrangements in place, both the UK and EU, to ensure people can continue to travel, and we have visa-free travel. Areas we’ve not had confirmed yet include [recognition of] European Health Insurance cards (Ehic). [But] many [EU member states] have said privately the arrangements will be maintained.” Brittany Ferries chief executive
Christophe Mathieu said: “The government is extremely concerned about Dover and Folkestone.” But he added: “I’m worried
about checks not of passengers but of freight. The UK is not in Schengen [so passenger checks won’t change]. The volumes in Dover are so massive, we could almost benefit [at Portsmouth], but I would much rather a deal.” Wells, who is also chief
executive of VisitKent, agreed: “There is real concern about how we’ll cope – 90% of UK freight, 22 million passengers a year and 12,000 lorries a day go through Kent. If there are 90-second checks on vehicles it will result very quickly in 17-mile tailbacks. “In case of no deal it’s really a case of communications and logistics. But the biggest part of resilience is to be as welcoming and disruption-free as possible.” Wells said: “Two things give me encouragement. First, the government needs tourism more than ever. The industry has been through a hell of a lot and always finds a way to keep people moving.
“Second, it won’t do us any
harm to try harder [and] it’s grist to the mill to say we need government support.” Petherbridge insisted: “Any deal
would be better than no deal.” But he warned a deal “would be the end of the beginning not the beginning of the end”.
‘Brexit clouds confidence but travel appetite strong’
Ian Taylor
ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk
Consumer confidence is “clouded by uncertainty” and there is “real risk of disruption” from a no-deal Brexit, Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer warned last week.
Tanzer told travel industry
leaders in London: “This is not where we wanted to be. Enormous expense has been incurred by government and business and the consumer is feeling less confident. There is clear evidence from members that consumers respond to scare stories.” Addressing an Abta briefing
on Brexit and the Future of UK Travel, Tanzer said: “An abrupt exit with no deal will be extremely damaging. There are real issues. “The priority is to maintain consumer confidence. Consumer spending and levels of confidence are clouded by uncertainty [and] there is no certainty on the status of posted workers.” Tanzer insisted: “Flights will
Brittany Ferries boss laments lack of reassurance
Brexit is hitting bookings as travel firms can’t address consumers’ questions about possible disruption to travel in the event of no deal. Brittany Ferries chief executive
Christophe Mathieu highlighted the problem at an Abta Brexit briefing in London, saying: “No deal could be a catastrophe for a company like ours.” He told the event: “You can imagine the pound goes down, consumer confidence goes down –
78
travelweekly.co.uk 7 February 2019 TANZER: ‘An abrupt exit with no deal will be extremely damaging’ £45.7bn
UK’s annual spend on outbound travel
still be able to fly. The EU has confirmed flights will continue for 12 months. The current proposal caps capacity at the summer 2018 level, [but] both the European Parliament and Council now
85% of our customers are British. That is two million customers a year. “One of our concerns is that we
can’t offer the reassurance we want to when people book holidays. We face questions daily. We are unable to give answers other than ‘We hope to minimise disruption and preserve the status quo’.” He said: “Bookings are down about 6% [year on year] for Brittany and Spain. They are down more for families who sail with us every year.” Yet Mathieu insisted: “We
remain optimistic. Britain will still be part of Europe. St Malo will be no farther from Portsmouth. We will still be able to sail to Spain.” Brittany Ferries is among the
advocate that cap be deleted.” Yet he warned: “There is real risk of disruption at ports affecting rail and ferry passengers.” However, Tanzer stressed
“the underlying strength of the travel industry” and said: “Some £45.7 billion is spent on outbound travel in this country. “The contribution to the UK economy is immense. “It’s impossible not to be concerned about our current predicament, but people’s appetite for travel remains undiminished.”
MATHIEU: ‘No deal could be a catastrophe for a firm like ours’
firms awarded UK Department for Transport contracts to deliver vital supplies including medicines to Britain in the event of no deal.
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