Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Holidays: Travel industry begs for 'route out of crisis'

Holidays: Travel industry begs for 'route out of crisis'

The travel industry has urged the prime minister to provide a "roadmap" to get people travelling again this summer.

A number of travel organisations and businesses have written an open letter to Mr Johnson begging for tailored support to prevent more jobs being lost and businesses going bust.

"We urge you to provide a route out of the crisis for the travel industry," it says.

Mr Johnson will set out his plans for easing lockdown rules on 22 February.

Under the current national restrictions, holidays are not permitted anywhere in the UK. International travel is restricted to essential purposes, such as for work, medical appointments, or education.

A government spokeswoman said it has already put in place "one of the most comprehensive and generous packages of business support in the world".

But signatories of the letter have asked for further help to safeguard the livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of people employed in the sector and rebuild the £80bn contribution the sector makes to the UK economy.

It was organised by the Association of British Travel Agents and the Save Future Travel Coalition and its signatories include organisations and businesses across the travel industry, such as Tui, EasyJet Holidays and Airlines UK.

About 160,000 jobs have been lost and many businesses have closed their doors for good during the pandemic, it says.

The economic output for travel fell by 86% for travel agents and tour operators and 90% for aviation, between February and December 2020, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics.

There has been little opportunity to recover or generate cash since Covid-19 first hit the sector 12 months ago, the letter pointed out, with restrictions in place on international travel for much of the last year.

Financial support


The industry said the government needs to provide tailored financial support to help travel businesses through, including grants that take account of the impact of international travel restrictions, and the extension of other support measures, such as business rates relief, into the next financial year.

"We also know that the recovery of travel is likely to be gradual, which will require the maintenance of flexible furlough support throughout the summer season, as well as other regulatory alleviations and support measures to help businesses meet their fixed costs," the letter added.

On top of that it asked the government to:

* Recognise that the industry "cannot wait" for the full roll-out of the vaccination programme before people start to travel again.

* Facilitate travel through a recognised certificate to enable restrictions to be relaxed for vaccinated travellers.

* Return Foreign Office travel advice on Covid-19 to a regional basis, as opposed to a whole country.

* Ensure advice focuses on the risk to people in destinations.

A financial support system for airports in England opened in January, as all UK travel corridors - which had been in place to allow arrivals from some countries to forgo quarantine - were closed.

Aviation minister Robert Courts said at the time that the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme "will help airports reduce" additional costs faced due to the pandemic.

The scheme had first been announced in November, but without a set start date. It involves grants of up to £8m per applicant, to be used to cover fixed costs, such as business rates.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport added: "There is continuous work taking place across government looking at how best to support all sectors of the economy, including the travel industry, and the Budget on 3 March will set out the next phase of economic support.

"On Monday, the prime minister will set out the roadmap for easing restrictions, which we are seeking to do in a cautious and irreversible way."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×