WTTC: UK Loses £639 Million Daily as International Travel Remains Off Limits

The UK will lose a staggering £639 million a day during July if international travel remains off limits, according to an open letter to the UK Prime Minister, from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

The global tourism body, which represents the global private Travel & Tourism sector, has written to the UK Prime Minister, warning the UK faces a possible £19.8 billion loss if international travel is effectively delayed until August.

Up to 218,000 more jobs in the sector are also at serious risk of being lost, if no action is taken now - in addition to the 307,000 jobs which were lost in the UK last year.

It urged the government to unlock the doors to international travel to avoid inflicting severe long-term damage on the country’s economy - and to prevent putting at risk the competitiveness of the UK’s Travel & Tourism sector.

The letter, signed by WTTC Members including TUI, Expedia, Meliá Hotels, Silversea Cruises, Iberostar, The Travel Corporation and Certares, amongst others, praised the progress made with the highly successful vaccine rollout, which the government should take advantage of, to allow the resumption of safe international travel and reactivate its economy.

It also outlined four steps the government could take immediately, which would provide a critically needed boost to struggling Travel & Tourism businesses up and down the country, fearful that the summer season is slipping away.

In 2019, the Travel & Tourism sector contributed 10.1% to the UK’s GDP, and supported 4.3 million jobs, representing 12% of total employment. However, the COVID-19 pandemic turned this world upside down, devastating the Travel & Tourism sector with 62 million jobs lost globally, while many more remain at risk.