The Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA) is urging the Government to provide the meetings, events, and accommodation sector with clarity and consistency in its recovery roadmap announcement scheduled for 22 February.
Prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to address the House of Commons at 3.30pm to reveal his roadmap out of lockdown.
Juliet Price, consultant executive director of HBAA, which represents more than 250 UK member organisations including agency and venue members in the industry, said: “It is extremely important that the Government follows the data and, as the figures are moving in the right direction, a clear path is established to enable our £70bn industry [£84bn when including weddings] to reopen successfully and sustainably. Time is running out, or has already run out, for some businesses and individuals, and this impacts our dedicated talent and available expertise.
“To survive, we need financial support and must continue to shine a light on our industry to be recognised. Specifically, we are calling upon the government to set out their ambitions for a phased reopening, with as detailed a timeline as possible, and clarification on the reasoning behind their decisions. Previously, Covid regulations have been dramatically inconsistent across industries, particularly between the retail and hospitality sectors. We are calling for consistent regulations across the board, with details on the type and size of meetings and events permitted at each stage, as well as clarification on a number of issues such as social distancing restrictions.
“This industry needs certainty now, more than ever, to re-open the market and ensure its survival and ability to return as a major driver of economic and employment growth. The significant investment that our members have already made in their businesses to ensure guest and delegate safety, assurances and protocols are in place, needs to be recognised through confidence in our resilient sector.”
