Package holiday operators have given a “lukewarm response” to the government’s latest changes of its traffic light system – but the likes of easyJet and Eurostar have seen a surge in sales.
The Guardian reported that the “lukewarm” response from tour operators was because they have “relatively little to gain” by the shake-up, which sees France lose its amber-plus status, meaning fully-vaccinated arrivals to England do not have to quarantine from Sunday onwards.
Seven countries including Germany and Austria were added to the green list, meaning travellers must take only a couple of tests and do not need to quarantine.
“Shares in Tui rose by more than 3%, but the company does not offer package holidays to France, the most high-profile tourist destination to have become easier to visit, and it is understood to have seen no significant increase in last-minute bookings,” said the Guardian.
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However, travel firms that focus on short breaks “have reported an uptick in 11th-hour bookings”, added the report.
On The Beach told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that it will continue its pause on sales for dates before September amid uncertainty about the traffic light system.
However, Jet2.com and sister brand Jet2holidays have reported a “sudden spike” in bookings to green and amber list destinations after the latest traffic light update.
The Guardian said Eurostar and easyJet were “already enjoying a surge in ticket sales because of the loosening of restrictions on several European countries, including France, Germany, Austria and Norway”.
A spokesperson for Eurostar told the newspaper on Thursday: “Overnight we have seen a strong increase in bookings on our London-Paris route and traffic to our website has more than doubled.”
EasyJet said it had seen an increase in bookings to France, the Balearics and Canary Islands, Italy, Greece and Portugal since the government’s announcement.
Online brand Thomas Cook predicted a “weekend scramble” for last-minute Mediterranean bookings.
Estelle Giraudeau, Club Med UK & Northern Europe managing director, commented: “The ongoing confusion caused by the unpredictable government decisions around the traffic light system is hammering consumer confidence. The addition of popular destinations such as Mexico to the red list is devastating for travel companies given this is such a big holiday spot – UK sales this summer for our resort, Cancún Yucatán, were up 207% year-on-year but will now have to be rearranged or refunded.
“Despite the chaos caused by these announcements, it is clear that there is still a large appetite for French holidays. France has continued to be a firm favourite for Brits, travelling both to our coastal and summer alpine resorts…with web traffic to our France destination page up 43% week-on-week.”
Hays Travel’s chief operating officer, Jonathon Woodall also reported an increase in bookings, mostly for later this year and 2022 rather than last-minute holidays.
“We are still seeing an increase in bookings for both popular European countries and island destinations such as Greece and Spain, and also for long haul, special holidays such as the Maldives, America, Bali and worldwide cruises,” he told the Guardian.
The newspaper also reported a surge in France bookings for Brittany Ferries and self-catering specialists Oliver’s Travels and Sawdays, but the news had come too late for Martin Randall Travel which had already cancelled August departures.
However, The Telegraph reported that Britons trying to book for France accused Eurotunnel, Eurostar and easyJet of “ripping off” customers who claimed prices trebled as soon as the government announced it would scrap quarantine for tourists returning from Sunday.
Elsewhere, Turkey specialist Diamond Star Experience said the announcement about the traffic lights was “another disappointment”.
Akin Koc, managing director, said he would like to know the government’s criteria for each country’s status, as India has moved from the red list to amber, while Turkey remains red.
He said Turkey is seeing an increase in Covid-19 infections, but its vaccination rate is far higher than India’s.
The Foreign Office currently advises against travel to all of Turkey “based on the current assessment of Covid-19 risks”.
Picture: Paris, by ESB Professional, Shutterstock
More: Jet2 reports ‘sudden spike’ in sales after traffic light lists update