How can Boris Johnson, a man who likes to quote Latin, fail to understand the simple reason the travel industry is on its knees?
Which brings me to the point of this letter. I write to you not as the prime minister, but as leader of the so-called party of business. So-called because this party has been anything but the party of business to the travel industry.
Is it ignorance I wonder? Are you even aware of the importance of this sector? Did you know for instance, that the outbound leisure and business travel sectors are worth an estimated £37.1bn to the UK economy, and the inbound sector is worth an estimated £28bn?
Or do you simply not care?
There are numerous theories flying around the industry as to why this might be the case (there are no customers, you see, thanks to your refusal to follow the very system your government put in place to enable international travel to resume. So with time on their hands, what else is there for this industry to do but wonder why on earth it’s been forgotten).
So yes, there are theories. Some suggest you want to keep money in the UK – after all, why support an industry that will take precious currency out of Britain and place it into the hands of Johnny Foreigner?
Except of course, as explained above that isn’t the case. UK travel businesses are exactly that – UK based companies paying wages, national insurance, business rates, taxes, into the hands of your government and contributing a combined £65 billion to the country’s GDP. If they disappear – which thanks to your lack of support, many now will – those taxes will also disappear.
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