Nearly 400 of Travel Counsellors’ home-based agents have written to their MPs to lobby for change to the government’s controversial quarantine measures.
Under the plans, all international arrivals will be required to self-isolate for 14 days from Monday, with limited exceptions.
The government has defended the timing of the measures, but they have received significant opposition from within the travel and hospitality industries and among many MPs.
Travel Counsellors created a letter for agents to send to their MPs, which stated: “A mandatory quarantine on all inbound travellers, which will deter visitors from coming here, make UK travellers think twice about going abroad, and most likely incur reciprocal quarantine measures on British travellers to other countries, will have real consequences for the UK travel sector.”
It also called for a change to the FCO’s advice against all-but-essential overseas travel, and urged the government to pursue the establishment of international travel corridors.
By mid afternoon on Thursday, more than 380 travel counsellors had confirmed the letter had been sent.
Steve Byrne, Travel Counsellors chief executive, said: “We completely agree and understand that the health, safety and wellbeing of travellers has been, and remains the most important thing, and we understand and appreciate that government measures will be driven by this priority.
“With an effective track and trace system now being put in place, together with confirmation of international air bridges or ‘travel corridors’, and enhanced health and safety requirements met by measures instated across the globe, we’re supporting our people to make their voice heard by encouraging their local MPs to see these initiatives as the most sensible and practical solution at this time.”
Travel Counsellors’ letter to local MPs ended by stating that the considerations were not only for the travel industry as a whole, but for small business owners across the UK.
