Hoteliers in Bristol say a points-based immigration system would be unworkable and would have a devastating impact on the hospitality industry.

The Government wants the system to start on January 1 2021 in bid to deny visas to what it calls “low-skilled” workers and to discourage employers from relying on ‘cheap labour’ from Europe.

But the Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA) warns that such a scheme could force some businesses to close and cause extreme difficulties for others.

Raphael Herzog, BHA Chair, said:

“Around 40% of our operations team are European, working across various departments including housekeeping, food and beverage staff, kitchen team and reception.

“Many of the Europeans currently filling those roles in our hotels would be ineligible to work under the Government’s proposals, which will have a huge impact on service levels and recruitment.

“The tourism and hospitality sectors rely on the European workforce, and we firmly believe that if this points-based immigration system is introduced as currently proposed, it will have a massive impact on how many hotels , restaurants, bars will be able to operate, and will likely cause some businesses to close.

“We are particularly concerned by the Prime Minister describing hospitality as a low-skilled industry, which does nothing to help our efforts to recruit the next generation of young people into our sector.

“It’s quite irresponsible of the Prime Minister to use language like that, which significantly under-values the industry and those who work within it.

“Data from the British Hospitality Association shows that the hospitality industry was worth over £100 billion in the UK in 2018; there are approximately 127,000 businesses and the industry employs around 1.6 million people.

“For some time, we’ve had tremendous difficulty in recruiting into many positions in the industry, because hospitality is widely perceived as a low-paid sector.

“While salaries have risen quite significantly in recent years, that old perception still means we have difficulty finding suitable staff in the UK, and many hotels have therefore been dependent on staff coming in from the continent.

“We completely agree with UK Hospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls, who said the Government’s proposals fail to recognise that hospitality is at the heart of every community in the UK.

“The Government has not given us any indication of how we are expected to replace the European workforce.

“They say they expect employers to invest more widely in technology and automation rather than relying on the traditional European workforce.

“But the hospitality industry is all about people. Robots and automatic systems can’t strip the sheets and make the beds, and it’s that personal touch when it comes to customer service that guests really enjoy, and which can really enhance the whole experience of staying in any hotel.

“The Government needs to re-think its strategy because these proposals will NOT deliver the kind of immigration system which works for the UK economy, it could make many businesses unviable.”