‘Customers need economic stability’
Andrew McQuarrie Travel Matters conference, London
The government must urgently set out a plan aimed at easing economic uncertainty, according to UKHospitality chair Kate Nicholls, as consumers continue to lack the confidence to spend. Nicholls said household savings
are twice the level they were during the pandemic, but people are reluctant to part with their money. “Consumers clearly don’t
feel confident enough to go out and spend, and you’ve seen successive decisions that have been unpredictable and uncertain with unforeseen consequences,” she told Abta’s Travel Matters conference.
She said it was “not surprising”
people are opting to continue saving their money, going on to note the impact on the travel sector. “You don’t feel that you can
reliably put your money aside and put a deposit down for a holiday six or eight months in advance,” Nicholls added. She called on the government
to offer a “clear direction and vision” on how it would help consumers and businesses. “What businesses need is
stability and certainty in order to plan and that’s what our consumers need too,” she said. “If [the government is] looking
at tackling the cost of living, you can’t tackle the cost of living until
You [need to]
address the cost of doing business and make sure the pound in somebody’s pocket goes further
you address the cost of doing business and making sure the pound in somebody’s pocket goes further.” She said a “big reset” would be
required in the winter regardless of who leads the government after next week’s by-election in Makerfield, Greater Manchester. The seat is being fought by Andy Burnham,
who has said he will enter any Labour leadership race if he wins. Abta chief executive Mark
Tanzer added: “My sense is there’s a sort of general disillusionment with politicians of all stripes at the moment in terms of their focus being on party issues internally rather than the issues that matter to households. “So I’m not sure [a new]
leader will change that. If there is going to be a leadership contest, I think the sooner the better for consumer confidence. “But I don’t think that’s
really what’s driving this [lack of confidence]. It’s more a general nervousness about the state of the economy, with the international relevance as well.
EU official warns EES will take ‘two years to stabilise’
Andrew McQuarrie Travel Matters conference, London
An EU official has warned it will take up to two years for the Entry/ Exit System to “stabilise”, a forecast which Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer described as “very painful”. Uku Särekanno, a deputy executive
director at Frontex, which helps manage the EU’s external borders, said collecting fingerprints on travellers’ first entry was “probably the most challenging part” of the EES rollout. “We expect the situation will
stabilise in one or two years because 4 11 JUNE 2026
the most challenging part is the first enrolment,” he said, noting the fingerprint requirements should be dropped on subsequent visits. Responding to reports that
some travellers have been asked for fingerprints even after their first visit, he said such approaches would need to be “corrected”. “We’re trying to ensure there’s
a coherent approach to the border procedures,” added Särekanno, who was speaking at Abta’s Travel Matters conference on Tuesday. “We’re putting in a lot of effort to ensure practices are harmonised.”
Countries’ differing management
of the EES rollout was a further factor shaping his prediction it would take time to achieve a smooth system. “In reality, there are some who
are managing it rather well and have dedicated resources for them to follow the processes,” he said. “There are others who are still struggling.” Särekanno explained there were no
plans to extend the temporary right for EES processes to be suspended for up to six hours at a time in cases of severe delays and overcrowding. “It’s a temporary relief,” he said. “This is ending in September and
Mark Tanzer (left) speaking at Abta’s Travel Matters conference on Tuesday
we expect most of the procedures will be in line by that time.” Tanzer said it was “very painful”
to hear it could take up to two years for the EES to stabilise. He added: “There are things they
have not got sorted out at all. I think they really need to tackle some of those logistics on the ground as well as getting the machines up and running.” Airlines UK chief executive Tim
Alderslade said he was “not really” reassured by Särekanno’s comments. “That was very interesting in terms
of the European approach. I think we’ve got some work to do,” he said.
travelweekly.co.uk
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