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The British Hospitality Association (BHA) responded the the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament.
Brexit was the focal point of the speech, with eight of the 27 bills proposed relating to the UK’s departure from the European Union.
The Queen proposed legislations to ensure that the United Kingdom “makes a success of Brexit”, establishing new national policies on immigration, international sanctions, nuclear safeguards, agriculture, and fisheries.
The Immigration Bill set out to allow the government to end the free movement of EU nationals to the UK while attracting the “brightest and the best”, possibly alleviating concerns raised by hospitality trade associations.
A Travel Protection Bill was also introduced to secure the financial rights of holidaymakers.
Ufi Ibrahim, the chief executive of the BHA, said: “The hospitality and tourism industry, the fourth largest in the UK, looks forward to working with ministers to build the widest consensus on Britain’s future outside the EU.
“The government is already aware of the industry’s vital need to have continuing access, in the short term, to the EU labour market while we encourage more UK workers to take up a career in hospitality and tourism.
“We have also made clear that the national living wage should be decided by the Low Pay Commission after 2020.”
She added: “The trade bills announced to help British businesses export to markets around the world should also consider that tourism is the UK’s sixth largest export. With this in mind it is essential that the immigration system encourages, rather than deters tourism to the UK and allows visa-free access for Europeans.”
