Travel industry calls for ‘decisive’ action on airport testing
The UK travel industry has urged the government to “act decisively” in putting in place airport coronavirus testing in order to save the £60bn industry.
Trade body ABTA also called for ministers to provide targeted support for travel companies, many of which have been without any revenue this year.
New figures from the association showed that only 15 per cent of people took an overseas holiday between February and July this year, down from 64 per cent last year.
Such trips are bread and butter for travel agents, many of which are regular sights on British high streets.
Although the furlough and government loan schemes gave such businesses “breathing space”, ABTA said that they would need special grants to keep going through the traditionally less profitable winter season.
They are also dependent on the government moving away from its current quarantine regime, which the sector body said was driving down demand for holidays.
Only seven countries in Europe remain open to quarantine-free travel under the current of regime, with most traditional holiday destinations off-limits.
Around 93 per cent of people are concerned about last-minute changes to foreign office travel advice and 4 in 5 people worry about having to quarantine when they return from holiday to the UK, it said.
“It is vital that the Global Travel Taskforce launched this month to consider a testing regime, and other measures to support recovery of the travel industry, acts decisively and urgently to help increase consumer confidence and get the industry moving again.”
At the moment, the UK is lagging behind other European neighbours such as Germany in getting such an airport testing system in place.
But speaking at ABTA’s annual conference this morning, transport secretary Grant Shapps said that government was working on two different testing initiatives.
Under the first, dubbed “test and release”, passengers would take a test “about a week” after their arrival – at their own expense – in an attempt to cut quarantine time.
He added that they were also working on an “internationally recognised system” with testing before and after travel, which would not require travellers to quarantine.
The figures came as the body released its new report into how the travel industry could adopt greener policies in the future.
Chief exec Mark Tanzer said: “We also need to make sure the UK Government understands the huge value of the sector and takes urgent action to support it – not just in the immediate future so we aren’t counting the costs of coronavirus for decades to come, but also with long-term policies that will help the industry to rebuild in a greener way.”