Advantage Travel Partnership has issued a plea to the UK government for a timeframe on future travel advice.
The current advice against all on-essential travel was put in place on March 17, and this was extended for an “indefinite” period on April 4.
Advantage chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said travel agents and consumers needed a timeframe from the Foreign Office on when travel advice would change so they can make informed decisions about holidays.
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Lo Bue-Said said: “A timeframe from the FCO on travel advice will help agents and customers make key decisions on future bookings. Further support from the government could also make all the difference to travel agents who have operated viable businesses until Covid-19.
“Agents are in a unique position because they offer human advice, inspiration and support to their clients and it is through this that trust in our industry can be retained and built back up but they are not getting the support from all the suppliers in the chain and or the government.”
The call came as the travel agency consortium produced an infographic to help its members deal with “the huge volumes of requests for refunds” from customers.
The infographic shows what happens after a booking is made and a refund is requested and illustrates that the agent has to wait for the tour operator to get monies back from its suppliers, such as the hotel or airline, before it can refund the end consumer.
It has been made available to members to download and print out to show clients.
Lo Bue-Said said: “The impact of coronavirus on travel agents and their customers has been immense due to the huge volumes of requests for refunds at a time when global borders are shut and the Foreign Office advises against all but non-essential travel indefinitely.
“Securing a refund for a customer is usually a straightforward process for a travel agent, however during these unprecedented times when travel is just not possible and with so many refund requests the travel agent is facing many challenges beyond their control.
“We hear every day how our members are doing their very best for their customers in the most challenging of times and all they want to do right now is help their clients with either a rebooking or refund.
“We hear from agents across the country that they are working long hours to try and gain refunds for their customers in an acceptable timeframe. The faster a refund is released from suppliers, the faster the money will flow back down the pipeline to agents for customer refunds to occur.”
