Hays Travel owners issue new plea for ‘sophisticated’ travel policy

Hays Travel owners John and Irene Hays have pleaded with the government to re-think its policy on Spain and take a more ‘targeted and sophisticated’ approach to travel bans.

The couple also told of their personal ‘devastation’ after being forced to tell 900 staff their jobs are at risk following another collapse in bookings.

Speaking to the BBC this morning, John Hays’ said: "What we would like to do is call on the government to look again at its policy with regards to Spain.

"The industry rose up as one after the announcement [to advice against all non-essential travel] so all the airports, the major airlines, and tour companies said the government’s ban on travel to places in North East Spain was absolutely right. We totally agree with that.

"However a more sophisticated, targeted approach would really help everyone who wants to go on holiday, and everyone in the travel industry.

"The infection rates in places like the Costa Del Sol and Majorca and Tenerife are less, and Germany is taking a more targeted and sophisticated approach."

Asked whether he thought it was safe to travel, he said:  "We certainly wouldn’t endorse or encourage anyone to go to an area which has a higher infection rate than the UK, such as the North East of Spain.

"However where infection rates are less than the UK then yes, it should be safer for them to go there than staying in the UK."  

While the company has slid back to a negative revenue position, Irene Hays said there is still demand for overseas travel.

"What we are seeing at the moment is lots of people who were waiting to book a holiday to Spain and the Balearics and Canaries are now transferring to Greece or Turkey. Italy is also doing very well.

"Lots of people who want to get away are transferring to place like that.

"So there is still latent demand. But obviously the best thing would be if there was a review of the arrangements around the Balearics and Canaries. That would help the industry greatly."

She said the picture looked brighter when overseas travel resumed, with the agency moving into a "positive revenue positon".

Late bookings for 2020 and forward sales for 2021 were ‘very strong’, she said.

But the quarantine rules, followed by the do-not-travel advice knocked the busines back.

"We are now seeing a negative revenue position with cancellations outweighing bookings," Irene said.

John Hays described the pain he and his wife felt at telling so many staff their jobs were at risk.

"We have found it devastating," he said. "We have never made redundancies like this throughout the 40 years of the business so for Irene and I to make these calls was painful."