Travel agents set to protest at Holyrood
A demonstration is being organised to demand more support.
Travel agents are set to protest in Edinburgh to demand financial support during the pandemic.
Many independent travel business owners will gather outside Holyrood at midday (Thursday 5th November 2020) in a socially distanced demonstration.
It has been organised on the Keep Travel Alive Facebook page which has gathered more than 7,000 members since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
Linda Hill Miller, who owns LAH Travel in West Kilbride, says: “The travel industry has been shut down since March and we have had no support – none whatsoever.
“Not only did we stop earning money when the first lockdown happened, but we also had to refund our profits from last year and that is absolutely heart-breaking.
“We also haven’t been able to take advantage of the Furlough scheme because we haven’t been able to not work.
“We’ve had to be in work, supporting our customers for the last seven months and offering refunds, rebooks and repatriations.
“It’s not OK. We are crying out for help and need support. Just sitting back and waiting for inevitable is not an option.”
A response from the Scottish Government to a letter outlining their concerns says, “We appreciate that the travel industry has been hit hard by lockdown, with all retail premises unable to re-open until July and low customer confidence impacting renewed sales once business resumed.
“We do not underestimate the devastating impact this pandemic has had on Scotland’s inward and outbound tourism sector, particularly those that rely on overseas visitors and are acutely aware of the issues caused by a worldwide drop in international travel.
“Throughout this unprecedented economic crisis, we have listened to businesses and business organisations and acted quickly to offer support which now exceeds £2.3 billion.
“The new Job Support Scheme (announced by the Chancellor) is far less generous than the furlough scheme. We will continue to make representations to the UK Government about the impact of Covid-19 in Scotland and the gaps in the existing schemes.”
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