Inghams and Esprit have cancelled departures to France up to and including January 4, following news of the temporary French ban on non-essential travel from the UK from December 18.
Travel agents and tour operators said Thursday’s announcement of the ban was a “hammer blow” to the sector.
Joe Ponte, chief executive of Inghams and Esprit parent Hotelplan UK, said: “We are hugely disappointed for our customers looking forward to a ski holiday in France in the coming weeks.
“However, without clarity on when the latest entry restrictions into France will end, it is sadly the right decision.
“For those customers impacted, we hope they will choose to join us for their holiday at a later date, but if not, they will be offered a refund.
“While we monitor the situation closely, we’re hopeful that our departures after January 4, 2022, will be able to go ahead as planned—and we’re in touch with our customers currently in French resorts, and at this time, advising them to continue to enjoy their holiday as planned.
“We’d like to thank our customers and partners for their patience throughout these changing times.
“We would also like to reassure everyone planning to travel with us that we intend to continue do the right thing by our customers.”
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