Thread by @pmdfoster

🚨🇪🇺🇬🇧⛷🏝✈️🚌🏕🇬🇧🇪🇺🚨Travel jobs at risk because of Brexit, say trade groups - my latest for ⁦@FinancialTimes⁩ what #brexit is gonna mean for U.K. workers in travel - from ski guides, camp site staff, reps and academic lecturers. Stay with me/1 on.ft.com/2O93pPO

@FinancialTimes This is a story that impacts both workers, consumers and the travel industry itself - something that the UK is very good at.

@ABTAtravel estimates 20,000 workers are directly involved in servicing holidays in the EU - but there are more in UK reliant on sales /2

@FinancialTimes @ABTAtravel The big problem is that the UK government was so keen to end free movement that it didn't either a bilateral visa waiver agreement or a list of so-called “paid activity exceptions” that could have included travel industry workers who work as tour reps etc /3

@FinancialTimes @ABTAtravel This isn't a middle class issue (before you say that) it's a core industry - pretty much everyone goes on holiday, so gumming up the works of how that happens will impact not just on workers, but on prices and the experience you are offered/4

@FinancialTimes @ABTAtravel SO for a small company like Venue Holidays that does campsite holidays, having to pre-advertise jobs for 8 weeks, then get residence/work permit and fill in 17-page form six months in advance is impactical on many levels /5

1. It doesn't get applicants for jobs like this months in advance (which pay 1,500 euros a month + accommodation)

2. Given turnover (someone jacks it in, goes home) it's risk/investment that might not make senese.

Result: UK staff in EU down from 50 to 5 /6

There is a long term impact the boss, Andrew Burden, tells me - which is that less young UK people will get the start in the industry that he had. Going to work couple seasons in EU, learning ropes...deciding to start their own concern. The industry will miss that over time/7

The ski industry is another example, where chalet hosts, ski guides - or say, a UK cover band that wants to play a season in a Alpine bar - are all now going to find themselves having to go through a cumbersome and expensive work permit process /8

This creates a structural problem, according to Charles Owen of European Pubs who explains that the industry block books accommodation, travel etc 18 months in advance and then sells the space but now hard to invest when not clear how they'll staff those holidays /9

As Mr Owen tells me: “We have no certainty of staffing now, which I fear means that UK companies will take less risk, shrinking the industry,” he said. “And when economies of scale go down, prices go up.” /10

A third unknown factor is whether the local authorities in France, Italy, Spain, Greece are going to have the capacity (or the will) to process these applications for work permits for reps/guides etc. Again more uncertainty for operators /11

So for companies Martin Randall Travel that provide guided culture tours that rely on British academics and music ensembles playing in European venues, that's body blow. “Without the lecturer, then one of our main selling points is undermined,” Fiona Charrington tells me /12

As has been noted before, also bad luck on the musical ensembles who would have previously have got the gig playing Bach to the British audiences on their tour of Germany...but now it might just not be practical to get the permits. Or it will jack up cost /13

As Tom Jenkins @TomJenkins_ETOA of the tells me, the big issue is that reps and work an eight-month season so the 90 days in 180 business visitor doesnt help. "Most can’t now work on the continent and earn a living. That’s a catastrophe for many.” he says /14

@tomjenkins_etoa So is there any solution? @ABTAtravel
is worried. Luke Petherbridge @LMPetherbridge , ABTA director of public affairs says the "lack of arrangements" on labour mobility ". . . is concerning and risks significant disruption to operations this summer and beyond." /15

@tomjenkins_etoa @ABTAtravel @LMPetherbridge And yes, EU citizens can do these jobs, but for companies like Sunvil Travel (medium-sized in London) having English reps, for example is absolutely key to them providing the customer service that allows them to compete with the big boys /16

The industry @ABTAtravel is urging fixes - such as including EU countries in the Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme - which currently gives 9 countries 2-year visas in UK for 18-30 year olds. And that is a scheme govt has mentioned in au pairs context./17

...gov.uk/youth-mobility

@ABTAtravel But I asked the government if Youth Mobility Scheme or similar was planned, or if bilateral negos were starting/or about to start with EU member states...but tbh didn't get much of a reply, other than 'it means consequences' ...but absolutely no assurances. /18

@ABTAtravel Of course, with #COVID19 none of this has really 'landed' with the public - who will need to get stamps in their passports when they go to the EU in order to determine they've not overstayed their 90 days in 180. They may notice the wait at the border tho/19

@ABTAtravel Again - the lack of a service/mobility chapter in the TCA is something that is going to bite over time....if any of us ever get to go on holiday again!! Fingers crossed on that score, of course, come this summer. Travel companies will have to make best of it. ENDS