Scottish travel agents have seen an “immediate impact” on bookings and enquiries after Scotland followed the other home nations by relaxing its travel restrictions.
However, the levels of trade are still only about 60% of pre-pandemic levels.
The changes see the removal of pre-departure tests and a change from PCR to lateral flow test on day two for fully vaccinated travellers.
Mike Tibbert (pictured), president of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA), said on Friday afternoon (January 7): “Even at this early stage, with the announcement only being made late in the afternoon yesterday, our members are telling us that enquiries are up over 100% on the previous week and bookings are showing similar levels of growth.
“Travel agents across Scotland are looking forward to a busy weekend as customer sentiment towards travel increases in positivity. These changes are good for our whole sector.
“However, it should be remembered that, although figures of 100% increase in enquiries and bookings looks significant, the base figures were very low after two years of incredibly poor trading.
“The 100% increases which our members report are, in fact, around 60% of the levels they were trading at in a similar period in 2019.”
More: Scotland scraps pre-departure travel tests and PCRs on arrival