CONFERENCE Travel Weekly Future of Travel Conference 2023: Industry leaders reflect
Trade calls on government to support the high street
L
eading figures in the travel trade have called on the government to do more to support the high street amid
fears of future business rate rises. Barrhead Travel Group president
Jacqueline Dobson and
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays chief executive Steve Heapy highlighted business rates as a key concern at Travel Weekly’s Future of Travel Conference last week. Dobson said the UK’s high streets
were currently propped up by “travel agencies and charity shops”, while Heapy called on the trade to lobby government to take action to attract more shoppers into town centres. The comments follow British
Retail Consortium figures this summer that showed Britain has lost 6,000 retail outlets in the past five years due to “crippling” business rates and Covid lockdowns, with the north and Midlands having the highest number of empty stores.
It’s obvious what’s
wrong: rates are too high, they’re creating cycle lanes everywhere and it costs £40 to park
Dobson said: “The government
needs to do more. It’s mainly travel agencies and charity shops propping the high street up.” She made the plea ahead of a
UK government review of business rates in November, which will come into force on April 1, 2024. Currently, businesses in England
and Wales – but not Scotland where Barrhead is based – are entitled to rates relief. In England and Wales, retail, hospitality and leisure businesses are entitled to 75% off business rates, up to a limit of £110,000 per business.
Dobson said there was
speculation business rates could rise by 5%-6% next year, adding rates could cost “just as much as rent”. Heapy blamed the ailing fortunes
of UK high streets on a combination of factors. He said: “It’s obvious what’s wrong: rates are too high; they’re creating cycle lanes everywhere and low emission zones so cars can’t get into the town centre and it costs £40 to park for half an hour; plus, they’re building out-of-town shopping centres outside the low emission zones.” He said little had changed to
improve the high street despite government reviews, such as The Portas Review by independent retail expert Mary Portas in 2011. “Remember the Mary Portas
review? Everyone said it would save the high street but bugger all happened,” he said. “We don’t need another review, it’s just kicking the can down the road.”
Jacqueline Dobson, Barrhead Travel
Ryan Pearson,
Booking.com
Operators ‘need to communicate with partners in a crisis’
Barrhead Travel Group president Jacqueline Dobson pleaded with operators to communicate better with agents in times of crisis. Dobson said that while operators
Susan Deer
airlines and airports were the main suppliers to come under fire from agents and consumers for lack of information and staff respectively. But Abta’s director of
were quick to put extra resources into contacting direct customers, they didn’t always do the same for trade partners. “We don’t always get the help we need,” she said. She called on operators to explain what “reasonable
costs” were when rebooking clients, such as after the recent Morocco earthquake. Dobson said: “It would help if they gave us clear instructions.” During the summer bank holiday disruption,
10 28 SEPTEMBER 2023
industry relations, Susan Deer, stressed it was important “not to sacrifice the accuracy of information for the speed
of information” during a crisis. She said: “It’s always a challenge when the situation
is moving very quickly. You may not be able to say at hour one what is going to happen at hour two. You have
to make sure the sources of information are right.” i ‘Stop the blame culture’: Agent Diary, page 28
DIGBY JONES: TRADE IS MOST R
Former trade minister Lord Digby Jones (pictured) praised the resilience of the travel sector before sharing his outlook for the global economy during a keynote speech. The former head of the CBI, who delivered a speech at a Travel Weekly Business Breakfast shortly before the pandemic, told attendees: “You’re the most resilient part of society – you’re still here after everything that has been thrown at you. You innovate, you come up with answers, you come up with solutions, you add value and you’re an amazing employer.” Lord Jones’s attendance was supported by Seabourn.
travelweekly.co.uk
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