Business support to the value of £3.5 million has been confirmed today for the Scottish outbound travel sector – an industry which has suffered severe trading difficulties since early 2020.
Mike Tibbert, president of The Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA), the professional body for travel agents and the travel sector in Scotland says,
“Travel agents in Scotland are greatly relived today.”
“The Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association today held a meeting with the Minister for business, trade, tourism and enterprise Ivan McKee, as part of our ongoing efforts to gain sectoral support for our members. This was a constructive meeting, and the minister took on board the points we were making about the negative income which had faced travel agents due to the financial model for outbound travel. Mr McKee understood the pressures which these businesses have faced.
“We are delighted that, after two years of fighting the corner of travel agents and the travel industry in Scotland, our efforts have paid off with the announcement of £3.5 million in direct business support for travel agents.
“The funding will assist businesses to recover from two years of negative income and to plan for a more secure future for their business. We also hope that this positive message from the Scottish Government will reach skilled travel professionals, who have been leaving the industry due to the challenges the sector has faced and encourage them to return. After the travel turmoil of the last two years, the travelling public will need the advice and knowledge of travel agents more than ever.”
