“Long Waits for Passports will Inevitably put People Off Travelling”- Advantage Speaks Out Over Planned Passport Office Strikes

Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of The Advantage Travel Partnership, speaks on the recent announcement of UK passport Office strikes and how it will affect travel over the period

Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of The Advantage Travel Partnership, speaks on the recent announcement of UK passport Office strikes and how it will affect travel over the period.

“It’s disappointing that holidaymakers are going to face further disruption due to Passport office staff across the UK striking for five weeks over April and May. These strikes will only add to the delays people have already been facing and will impact the delivery of passports as summer approaches.

Last year 360,000 people had to wait longer than 10 weeks to receive their passports. Long waits for passports will inevitably put people off travelling at a time when the outbound travel industry is recovering from the hangover of the pandemic. Not only will this strike disrupt planned holidays, and the opportunity to make the most of last minute deals, but will also put further obstacles in the place of business travellers and those visiting family abroad.

Our advice to travellers, should they need passports or to renew existing ones, is to action these as soon as possible to minimise any disruption to their travel plans. We urge the government and the unions to find a way of dealing with this dispute urgently to ensure that it doesn’t affect British travellers and impact the outbound travel industry.”

For further information about The Advantage Travel Partnership, please contact: advantage@finnpartners.com

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