Government support for the travel industry is urgently needed now that there is no start-up
The press conference on Wednesday, May 6, makes the travel industry very gloomy for this summer, because the announced relaxation of the corona measures will not affect the travel sector for the time being. In addition to substantial (cancellation) costs of more than € 1 billion, the loss of turnover this year will rise to around 85% and many of the 20.000 jobs will be at risk. And with only general support measures, the travel industry will no longer get there. That is why the sector is urgently asking for specific help from the government.
Frank Oostdam, chairman/director ANVR:
“The industry for travel abroad was the first sector (such as China travel) to be hit by the corona virus and seems to be the last to get back to work. Opening up to tourists from foreign destinations is one of the last measures that countries take, often with restrictions. Not only holiday traffic, but also business travel is affected. Results of a recent poll at the beginning of May show a drop of about 85% for 2020. We therefore urgently need government support to safeguard the employment of 20.000 employees in the travel industry. Many of our 300 travel organizations and 1000 business and holiday travel agencies are now running out of water.”
The government has already designated the travel sector as one of the hardest hit sectors. An extension and deepening of existing, generic government measures is therefore urgently needed, as it is clear that the problems for the travel industry will only worsen further. The government also promised compensation measures to the hard-hit sector. Since March, in addition to a sharp drop in business and holiday bookings, the travel industry has also been confronted with hundreds of thousands of cancellations of previously made bookings.
Oostdam adds:
“And if that isn't enough, we had to repatriate 125.000 thousand Dutch people in March/April, often at high costs. The sector has worked very hard on this, but on balance nothing has been earned. No sector can sustain this. And it is precisely with regard to cancellation costs that the government has promised compensation measures to the travel sector.”
The ANVR says it would like to sit down with Prime Minister Mark Rutte to discuss how the government can help the travel sector with a 2nd support package to survive this crisis and maintain the employment of 20.000 people for the Dutch economy.
I don't have the impression that the travel industry needs to be at the top of a list for government money.
1 billion euros in cancellation costs.
I assume these are not expenses, but refunded payments for booked trips, ie money that has not been earned.
Since vouchers are used, much of that money is probably not even repaid, but is used as an interest-free loan.
Whether the consumer will ever see the money from those vouchers again is very much the question, just like the question is whether, when he wants to use his voucher for the trip, the trip has not suddenly become twice as expensive.
Blessed are the ignorant. Travel organizations must reserve hotel beds and airplane seats before they have received the money for booked trips and also pay part of these down. In addition, they have to make their turnover during the summer holidays, if that fails and there is no government support, thousands of employees will soon be out on the street, mostly young people.
But for people who receive a benefit (AOW, or deferred wage through pension) it is of course easy to talk, they just get the money back at the end of the month. It is mainly the young people who will feel this crisis hard.
I am afraid that the AOW will not be a fat pot for the next many years.
Many hotels have also closed their doors.
If they do not provide services. you don't have to pay them either.
If the planes don't fly, you don't have to pay for them.
How they get their money back from their deposit if the hotel doesn't reopen may be a problem, but on the other hand, they have already received the consumer's deposit.
Many young people will end up on the street, but that does not only apply to the ANVR.
That applies to many companies.
For the time being, however, it seems very much as if the consumer has spent money, but is not supplied with a product, only a voucher, which has limited redeemability and of which no one knows whether it will be possible to redeem it in the future.
Hello, I think the response is a bit short-sighted. We haven't had a raise for years. And money from the Pension Funds has been given to the government, you don't hear about that anymore. The young people do not all what is not today will come tomorrow and buy their crazy because you have to keep up, we have learned from our parents if you want to save something, they have never heard of it. Was asking for information in the Apple store last year when I saw that buying without a price limit was not normal. I myself have saved for an iPad and not the most expensive one.
See it with our neighbors nothing is good enough and I think I've worked long enough since I was 14 that I can now afford something myself. Only Corona threw everything into the water but I'm making the best of it. Virtual greetings
Do not worry so much. Khun Peter is right. The young people will have to bear the brunt of the blows. That is so clear. AOW and pension are (still) guaranteed. You get what is rightfully yours.
Dear Christina, I completely agree with you that bullshit from or about young people, they have it better than we had in our time, because as you say nothing is good or enough.
Nowadays, most young people after their studies, or during a year's break, travel the world en masse, that was really different in our time, maybe a few days on a teenage tour or Eurorail, and that was it.
And I really wish them well, but then stop being pathetic, they still have many years to ensure that their old age can also go a little carefree, but then you have to start saving!
Those young people do pay your state pension. No young people, no AOW.
A large proportion of young people suffer financially and the elderly often die. If I had to choose between two evils, I knew it.
You are forgetting an important branch in the travel industry. Those are the Cruises. Both sea and inland shipping. In both cases they usually sail with personnel from poorer countries. These people are sitting at home unemployed. The ships cost a fortune, even when they are stationary. Just think of port fees and waiting staff, repayments and interest. We are not yet talking about loss of turnover. It's not all as you make it out to be.
The cruises are often booked by people who do not only live on a state pension. Make the cruises much more expensive so that the crew can be paid a decent wage. And make sure that guaranteed continued payment of wages does take place. And when it's all that expensive, think about whether these kinds of vacation needs should be met.