Save Our Travel Jobs

Boris Johnson and the British Government

How many of you have been on a package holiday or worked a season?

If so, did you know that commercial activities powered by our desire to travel MASSIVELY outstrip the entire UK farming and fishing industries? (Outbound travel contributes £37.1 billion to the national economy,  Fishing by comparison generates 1.4Bn GBP and employs 12k staff)

Or that 87% of the 25,000 people working in the EU supporting travel are aged between 18-34 yrs old?


And that these jobs will be lost if there is a no deal Brexit or we fail to negotiate a way for them to carrying on working temporarily in the EU?

These 18 – 34 year olds are your Reps, Chalet Hosts, Nannies, Drivers and the logistics experts who together organise and deliver incredible holidays – amazing memories – for millions of Brits. They then return to the UK with all this experience and training.

With young people being the hardest hit when it comes to job losses as a result of COVID, we think it is high time for our Government to stop arguing about fishing quotas or breaking international law and do all they can to protect these 25,000 jobs and all the training and travel opportunities that comes with them.

Let’s be heard! If this number of anticipated job losses (25,000), and the lost opportunities for the young, was in a single company – it would be making daily headlines !

We call on Boris Johnson to please let this wonderful practice continue by agreeing with our European partners that young people should be able to work for short periods across Europe without the need for Visa's or work permits. This could be achieved through an extension of the existing Tier 5 visa regime (Youth Mobility Scheme) to EU countries.

If you have ever worked a season or you want your children to be able to have this amazing experience then please;

1) watch the video

2) sign the petition

3) share them both with friends and family

THANK YOU

To: Boris Johnson and the British Government
From: [Your Name]

Dear Boris Johnson,

We know you and your family, just like most Brits, enjoy the occasional trip abroad. But, we don’t know if you are aware of the following:

That commercial activities powered by our desire to travel outstrip the entire UK farming and fishing industries? (Outbound travel contributes £37.1 billion to the national economy).

Or that 87% of the 25,000 people working in the EU supporting travel are aged between 18 and 34 years old?

And that according to a recent survey, 78% of the travel companies employing this young workforce have training and apprenticeship programmes?

We in the travel industry know that these jobs will be lost if there is a no deal Brexit or if we fail to negotiate a way for these young people to carrying on working temporarily in the EU.

Our economy will need all the help it can get to recover from the damaging effects of Covid-19. We also feel that young people are taking the brunt of the job cuts – certainly in our sector.

So we ask, why make more young people redundant when, with a swish of your pen, this scale of job losses can be totally avoided? Why end all those training opportunities when UK PLC needs all the skills and expertise (particularly amongst the young) it can get?

And, some around you may ask wherein lies the wisdom in alienating such a large number of the next generation of voters?

The ability to work across Europe in the holiday industry has not only enriched the lives of all of us that have done it but also given millions of British holiday makers unforgettable memories and experiences.

Please let this wonderful practice continue by agreeing with our European partners that young people should be able to work for short periods across Europe without the need for Visa's or work permits. This could be achieved through an extension of the existing Tier 5 visa regime (Youth Mobility Scheme) to EU countries.

That is all it would take to save 10,000s of jobs for 18 – 34 year olds. This isn't about immigration. This is about opportunities and jobs for young people across Europe.

Thank you