Travel trade union TSSA has added its voice to calls for the government to provide a bespoke support package to save high street travel agents.
The union has already raised fears of the future of the high street travel agent and written to government to urge them to help save travel shops and their staff.
It reiterated calls from others in the trade who have called for sector-specific help for the travel industry following the latest government changes on travel to Spain.
Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said: “The government must, without further delay, put in place a bespoke package of support to save high street travel shops and our members’ jobs beyond the end of the job retention scheme in October.”
The comments came as the union condemned the government’s handling of the quarantine policy for Spain as ‘beyond shambolic’.
The government removed Spain from the list of countries exempt from quarantine for travellers arriving back in the UK, while the Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to the whole of Spain.
Cortes said: “The government’s handling of its new quarantine policy for Spain is beyond shambolic. The quarantine was announced on Saturday evening, and changed just two days later – yesterday – to include the Balearic and Canary islands in the essential travel only lists.
“Now newspaper reports suggest yet another change is on its way as the self-isolation period could be cut from 10 to 14 days. Frankly, making it up as you go along is simply not good enough.
“It’s not good enough for those who bought holidays in Spain in good faith and now face the prospect of coming home early as flights are cancelled or whose wages may be docked for two weeks because of the need to quarantine.
“It’s not good enough for travel businesses who deserve absolute certainty and clarity about what destinations are safe. And it’s not good enough for our members whose jobs are now less safe than they were on Saturday.”