ABTA – The Travel Association and Seasonal Businesses in Travel (SBiT) have undertaken new research demonstrating robust public approval for securing a youth experience deal with the EU. This comes as they urge the government to expedite negotiations with the EU following the UK-EU Summit in May.

A new survey conducted by ABTA in partnership with YouGov indicated that 76% of Brits favor an agreement allowing young individuals to work, live, and study in the EU for temporary periods. Interestingly, even among those who voted for Brexit in 2016, 61% support a youth mobility deal.

The associations highlighted that this agreement is vital for sustaining the UK’s outbound travel sector, contributing over £52 billion to the UK economy. Many workers in this industry begin their careers in temporary roles abroad, and a significant portion of UK holidays overseas are to the EU.

Previous findings from ABTA and SBiT indicated that over a third of all workers and nearly half of industry leaders held similar positions earlier in their careers. However, since the Brexit vote, opportunities for young people in tourism support roles have declined by 69%.

Additionally, the associations are urging the government to prioritize several travel-related discussions in future EU negotiations. Polling reveals strong public belief in the economic advantages of a closer relationship with the EU, with 66% of respondents affirming this sentiment.

Luke Petherbridge, ABTA’s Director of Public Affairs stated, “Travel is one of the sectors significantly affected by the UK’s exit from the EU, now with longer passport queues for UK travelers. We need to see progress on the agreed items from the May deal, especially regarding opportunities for young people to live and work in the EU, which is essential for their career paths.”

He added that the government must expand on the UK-EU arrangement by fostering further cooperation to benefit travelers and the travel industry as a whole.

Luke Petherbridge highlighted ongoing changes to border arrangements by both sides, citing the UK’s introduction of the Electronic Travel Authority earlier this year and the EU’s Entry/Exit System set to launch in October. Future agreements are necessary to eliminate new barriers to travel, and recent polling underscores the public’s strong support for this approach.

Charles Owen, SBiT’s Managing Director remarked, “The travel industry has been hampered by the lack of mobility arrangements. While some temporary measures have been established, they lack universality and provide little assurance. A comprehensive UK-EU agreement is essential, and we urge ministers to expedite this deal.”