Tui UK and the relaunched online Thomas Cook are among the first operators to cancel holidays to Turkey after the country was removed from the UK’s safe travel corridors list.
Holidays to Turkey up to October 3 – when quarantine restrictions come into force – were immediately axed by Tui with customers advised not to travel to the airport.
“We’ll be proactively updating any customers due to travel from 4-15 October,” the operator said.
Tui pledged that all impacted holidaymakers will receive a full cash refund.
More: Comment: Based on the evidence I believed Turkey was a safe option
“Customers who are currently on holiday in Turkey can continue to enjoy their holidays as planned and return on their intended flights home,” the company added.
“We are currently prioritising contacting customers due to travel in the next 48 hours.”
Thomas Cook removed both Turkey and Poland from sale following Thursday’s announcement on the government’s travel corridors.
The brand only sells holidays to destinations on the government’s safe travel corridor list and has committed to providing flexibility to customers affected by changes to the rules.
A spokesperson for Thomas Cook, which committed to providing refunds within 14 days of a holiday being cancelled, said: “Turkey has been so popular since we launched and it’s a huge shame that we have had to stop selling holidays to this fantastic country.
“We are in touch with customers who are due to head out there in the next two weeks to see if they want to move their holiday elsewhere or to a later date.
“We are also contacting all those customers currently enjoying a holiday in Turkey to help them decide what to do.”
Travel industry support call
The Advantage Travel Partnership’s chief executive, Julia Lo Bue-Said, said: “The unexpected removal of Turkey from the government’s safe travel list could be the final blow for an industry already on its knees.
“The quarantine process, whilst promoted from the outset as based on a case-by-case basis appears to have actually been a blanket approach by stealth. Over the past months, since the air corridors were announced, we have only bad news of key destinations falling off the safe list further eroding consumer confidence. Our travel agent members now have very little to sell to a population who has no stomach to travel.
“This dire situation could have been mitigated months ago with the implementation of airport testing. The government delay on testing is tantamount to industrial sabotage.”
Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association president Joanne Dooey said: “The breaking news that there are further key changes to the quarantine list, with Turkey being the most important from a Scottish perspective diminishes to a point of almost zero, the destinations which travel agents are able to sell at this time.
“Simultaneously, it increases travel agents’ workloads as they have to deal with yet another round of cancellations and the associated loss of all related income.
“Action to support travel is critical. There are 26,000 jobs supported by the outbound travel sector in Scotland. It’s not just the connectivity to the rest of the globe which we will lose without tailored help, thousands of travel professionals will lose their jobs.
She spoke out as the SPAA issued a video to Scotland’s MPs and also to MSPs as part of a campaign for sector specific support for travel agents, many of whom face financial ruin as their business are forced out of business.
Dooey, who owns three travel agencies in the west of Scotland, said: “The financial position for many travel business owners is dire.
“Business owners are faced, not only with losing their businesses which employ teams of travel professionals, but with losing their homes and defaulting on loans.
“Thirty seven per cent of our members surveyed in August reported they had experienced losses at that stage of more than £1 million.
“This position will be far worse now and for far more agencies. We have nothing to sell and no one to sell it to.
“But, despite this, travel is a viable business sector. Once we are able to travel again for business and pleasure, Scotland will need the professional advice and security of booking with a travel agent more than ever.”
Trust in travel ‘hit’
Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said: “While the government continues with its weekly shuffle of travel restrictions, it is still not addressing weaknesses in consumer protection that have arisen as a result.
“Customers who have simply followed the government’s advice not to travel have faced massive upheaval when trying to get their money back, initially from airlines but now also from some online travel agents.
“As the government hasn’t cracked down on this behaviour, trust in the industry has taken a significant hit.
“Major reforms are needed as part of the industry’s recovery to ensure that people can have confidence in their travel bookings.”
More: Comment: Based on the evidence I believed Turkey was a safe option
