The emergence of the new strain of Covid and the subsequent tighter restrictions and closure of borders to UK arrivals by many countries “is a scary place for us to be”, according to the boss of The Travel Network Group.
Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, chief executive Gary Lewis said it was possible that the latest developments in coronavirus crisis could derail travel’s recovery just as it was starting to gather some momentum.
“The whole point about our ‘Restart, Reconnect’ campaign was we believed we could see the end in sight, with the vaccines coming in,” he said.
“None of us expected other countries to just simply close us down. The effect of not knowing how long this will go on for; combined with uncertainty about our government’s reaction and layered on top of Brexit, just created yet more uncertainty in a year of total and utter fear and uncertainty.”
He added: “The truth is that for two weeks, we were feeling that we really had got some excitement, some energy, and some momentum back. The business partners were getting more online in their engagements and in their relationships, and it felt like we were proper travel company again, talking about selling holidays.
“But the fact is, is if you’re in tier 4, you’re effectively in lockdown, and customers are now just worrying about the next week, two weeks, four weeks, six weeks, and we don’t have any end game.
“If that carries on into January, it is going to have an impact on enquiries and the momentum of the conversations with customers.”
“It creates uncertaintly when the health minister says the virus is out of control with a new strain. We need to get it under control because it is a scary place for us all to be.”
Lewis also called on government to give more clarity over the vaccine rollout programme in order to help businesses plan for the future.
“This is where they [the government] really need to reassure us. They need to give us daily updates on this vaccine. How are we getting on? Because we’re making our plans around that,” he said.
“If we know that 33% of all deaths were happening in care homes, and 33% of all deaths were happening in the over 80s, how long till they all get vaccinated? How long until the next round of vaccinations to get that confidence for booking in June, July, August, September?”
He added: “I know it may seem trivial to talk about deaths and then talk about travel, but of course, all of our livelihoods are determined by what our future holds, and so we need some certainty.”
Lewis said the biggest impact of the latest lockdowns and border closures for members was mental rather than practical.
“I don’t think it’s been as bad through this process, because obviously there is not as much travelling and besides, members are very self-sufficient and understanding what they need to do for their specific customers,” he said.
“I think the biggest impact will be on our members’ mental strength and energy and resilience.”