Travel industry condemns Boris Johnson’s foreign holiday delay

‘Businesses will struggle to survive’ – Joss Croft, chief executive of UKInbound

Going places? easyJet Airbus A320 (easyJet)

Aviation businesses and holiday organisations have condemned the government’s refusal to commit to opening up international travel.

In an Easter Monday announcement from Downing Street, the prime minister said it was too early to say if overseas leisure travel could be permitted from mid-May, which had previously been the government’s intention.

Boris Johnson’s announcement was accompanied by an official review of progress on the roadmap that warned against booking foreign holidays.

The review says: “The government hopes people will be able to travel to and from the UK to take a summer holiday this year, but it is still too soon to know what is possible.”

Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators’ Association said: “It is disappointing that the initial update from the prime minister continues to suggest significant barriers to international travel and may push back the date of restart beyond 17 May.

“Any prolonged closure of UK airports’ key destinations in Europe in particular will have major financial impacts.”

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of the industry body Airlines UK, said the announcement “does not provide the clarity we were seeking on the roadmap back towards normality”.

Joss Croft, chief executive of UKInbound – representing the domestic travel industry catering to international tourists – said: “As long as restrictions are in place at our borders, businesses will struggle to survive.

“We need to see a robust-four nation approach to reopening and the intention to develop bilateral and multilateral travel agreements with valuable international markets such as the US.

“A stop-start restart is one of the biggest threats to our sector.”

Travel firms have long lobbied for a “traffic-light” system, which assigns foreign countries into one of three categories depending on the risk posed by incoming travellers. The government has accepted this principle – but says multiple tests will be required even from people coming from low-risk countries.

Speaking on BBC Today, Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, said: “This could add cost and complexity.”

“A PCR test [fee] way exceeds a typical fare on easyJet.

“You wouldn’t open up international travel for everyone, you’d open up for those who could afford to pay it.”

Abta, the travel association, echoed his view. The chief executive, Mark Tanzer, said: “The goal must be to have unrestricted travel to ‘green’ destinations.

“The government must ensure that testing is required only where the public health risk justifies it, and that a cost-effective and efficient testing regime is in place.”

He also called for less uncertainly about the government’s changes to policy.

“A priority for the industry is a more stable system which avoids the situation of last summer where travel to many destinations was quickly turned on and off.

“It is vital that the government clarifies how the transition between green, amber and red levels will work, both to help travel businesses plan ahead and to provide reassurance for travellers.”

Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (Iata), said: “It will be important that the criteria for each category—red, green and amber—are easily understood and predictable.

“The system must both inform travellers what destinations are open under what conditions, and reassure them that the requirements won’t change last minute.”

Ministers say they want to see a return to non-essential international travel as soon as possible, “while still managing the risk from imported cases and variants of concern”.