Latest announcement seemed to be made in attempt to pacify sector, says If Only general manager Gordon McCreadie
Having started in the industry as a 16-year-old, it’s safe to say travel is in my blood.
However cheesy it sounds, when you’ve been working in an industry for 37 years, the people do become an extension of your family. This struck me at last week’s Travel Day of Action, when I attended Holyrood in Edinburgh alongside friends and colleagues to petition for government support.
Speaking to people I’ve known for decades, hearing first-hand about their struggles and commitment to get through this pandemic, highlighted one of the things I love most about the travel industry: our unity and resilience in the face of adversity.
More: Travel Day of Action media coverage ‘reaches 12m people’
Special report: Agents share their personal stories at Travel Day of Action
Travel Day of Action organisers hail ‘great turnout’
In some ways, the day was a huge success. We demonstrated our voice to governments, making it clear we won’t continue to endure the current situation lying down. This, perhaps, contributed to the slightly more positive traffic light announcement last Thursday. The question is, are these additions to the green watchlist, and propositions for waived quarantine for fully-vaccinated travellers in the future, enough to help sustain our industry. Or is it too little too late?
While more countries than at previous reviews were added to the green list, the fact that most were on the watchlist ultimately means things could change at any time, prompting widespread uncertainty.
Consumer concerns
If Only, as a luxury long-haul operator, can sense a real concern among our agents and their customers about the cost and challenge of returning home from far-flung destinations at late notice if required.
Given that more than 60% of our population are now double-vaccinated, with over 90% protection against all variants, this announcement still feels overcautious. We have no chance of a proper summer season with consumer confidence so low and we’re now lagging behind other countries that are already allowing citizens to travel freely. It seems that this latest announcement was designed to pacify the industry on the surface without making a huge amount of difference in reality.
One of the more promising elements of last week’s announcement was the confirmation that, “later in the summer”, fully-vaccinated individuals travelling back to the UK from amber countries will not need to quarantine. We have been hoping for this since the vaccination programme began. But once again, the lack of clarity around timescales is a disgrace. We’re unlikely to see an uplift in bookings for summer 2021 until a date is set in stone.
Rules around testing also remain unclear. If fully-vaccinated passengers wishing to travel to green or amber destinations at the end of the summer still have to take numerous PCR tests, holidays will remain unaffordable for many. While test costs have fallen, they still present a real financial challenge, making a government subsidy for tests essential if they are to truly facilitate a travel restart.
Financial imperative
Although the introduction of tailored financial support was a key demand from the Travel Day of Action, the government has failed to indicate how they will respond to this crucial point.
Even with additional countries added to the green list and the possibility of reduced quarantine, travel firms will be facing huge monetary challenges for the foreseeable future given the virtually non-existent revenue of the past 16 months.
Our industry cannot simply shut, like others. At If Only, we have kept our business fully operational throughout but received only one £20,000 grant. This is not good enough. The government has to act now to safeguard jobs with an extension of furlough and ongoing financial backing.
The government is continuing to fail in its responsibility to our industry. Last week’s updates, while an improvement, are a drop in the ocean when you consider our overall demands, and certainly not enough to sustain businesses throughout the summer.
However, I take a comfort in the way we came together to make our voices heard. The resilience of our incredible workforce is undeniable and I’m confident that, if we continue to present a united front, we can save future travel together.
More: Travel Day of Action media coverage ‘reaches 12m people’
Special report: Agents share their personal stories at Travel Day of Action