NI Travel Agents Urge Executive to Get Back to Work as Agents in Republic of Ireland Start to Receive Grants

Frustrated travel agents across Northern Ireland are urging the NI Executive to get back to work, to release the Covid relief funding that was agreed with them before Stormont's collapse

While many businesses across Northern Ireland were given government grants to help with the massive loss of income during the Covid pandemic, travel agents across the Province are still waiting on their funding being issued.

After a long battle with Ministers at Stormont, including a day of demonstration, showing their frustration and pleading for help to survive, the government finally agreed a funding package to help businesses retain/re-employ staff, pay the still-incoming bills and help them get back on their feet again.

However, the recent collapse of the NI Executive has meant that the agreed funding is now held up in government red tape. Their disappointment and frustration was compounded at the end of last week as agents in the Republic of Ireland started to receive Covid grants.

The Association of Northern Ireland Travel Agents (ANITA) are now urging the Executive to start working again as “until we have a working executive in place it’s hard to see how we can move forward”.

Damian Murphy, ANITA Chairman says the fact that travel agents in Northern Ireland “know there is a large amount of unallocated money sitting there, but are now unsure if it’s too late for us to benefit from it” is “frustrating”.

“To say we are frustrated once again is somewhat of an understatement. Some months ago we managed to agree in principal a second grant for our sector – the very next day our Executive was brought down.

“We have been in contact with senior civil servants as well as local politicians – and while they have sympathy for our plight it seems nothing can be done until an executive is reformed.  We know there is a large amount of unallocated money sitting there but are now unsure if its too late for us to benefit from it.

“We are all busy again with lots of people wanting to travel but we continue to deal with the fallout from covid in terms of flight cancellations –changes-delays at airports among other things.

“ANITA will continue to pursue this to the end but until we have a working executive in place it’s hard to see how we can move forward.”

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