ABTA has cautiously welcomed the announcement made by the prime minister today, in which he said people in England can now take domestic holidays and stay in a self-contained accommodation overnight from July 4
?The measures announced today, is a step in the right direction. It will help jumpstart the travel industry in the UK, as there has been a latent demand among people, to visit their family and friends,? said the ABTA spokesperson.
?However, the travel sector remains in a perilous state, with redundancies announced each week, while there still remains a lot to be done, to help recover the losses. We need a comprehensive roadmap that includes timeframes for relaxing international travel restrictions too, so that businesses and customers can plan ahead. The process of sending people on a holiday is not like turning on a tap; it is as much advance notice as possible from the government so that travel companies start operating at the earliest,? he added.
Joss Croft, CEO of UKinbound, said: ?Today?s announcement that pubs, restaurants, hotels and attractions can officially open on July 4, will come as a huge relief to businesses across the tourism and hospitality industry, which has earned very little revenue since the beginning of March. Reducing social distancing from two metres to one will also ensure that many more businesses will be able to reopen at the start of next month.?
?We are pleased to know that the government has heard our pleas and seems to agree to the concept of air corridors, with a number of countries, a step that signals that the UK?s tourism inbound industry is keen to welcome international tourists again. But the government also needs to recognise that while some businesses will be able to re-coup a small proportion of their losses, over this short summer; many businesses, especially those that rely wholly or partly on inbound tourism, will need financial support to stay afloat and continue driving jobs and growth across the UK.?
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