Sunlounger Travel chief welcomes local MP and opposition leader

Sunlounger Travel owner Iain Kirkbright has highlighted challenges facing the travel industry during a visit from local MP James Wild and opposition leader Kemi Badenoch.

Kirkbright said the Advantage Travel Partnership member already had a positive relationship with Wild, but the presence of the Conservative Party leader “made it a rare opportunity to elevate the industry’s messages to the highest level”.

He said: "I was able to tell them that the travel industry is navigating one of the most challenging and complex periods in its recent history, and to speak frankly about the very real pressures businesses like ours are facing right now.

"The sector was already grappling with rising national insurance contributions, mounting employment pressures and escalating business rates. And then the Middle East crisis hits on top of all of that, adding a significant and urgent new layer to an already difficult landscape.

“Our teams have been working around the clock to manage the situation and protect our customers and our businesses. I made sure they understood that too."

Speaking on behalf of the UK Outbound Travel Group, Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said: "I am delighted that Iain was not only able to meet again with his local MP, but to relay such important messages directly to the Leader of the Opposition. It is vital that our industry’s voice is heard at the highest levels of politics.

"By demonstrating to MPs how UK outbound travel businesses are central pillars of their local economies, we are building a genuine caucus of supporters in parliament and that can only strengthen our case for better ministerial representation and recognition of the enormous economic contribution this sector makes."