Industry reacts as Govt. switches policy and explores shorter quarantine

The industry has welcomed the government’s new quarantine approach to island destinations but warned more needs to be done to streamline the UK response to overseas Covid numbers.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced the policy change today just as seven Greek islands were removed from the travel corridor.

Mainland Greece remained on the safe travel list.

Shapps also said the government was closely examining ways of introducing testing and reducing the time spent in quarantine.

Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association president Joanne Dooey said the ‘granular’ approach to travel corridors is one measure to save the industry, but others are needed.

Given the new island-specific approach, there was also disappointment the Canary Islands was not added to the travel corridor list.

"There needs to be a joined-up, four nations approach to which islands and regions are removed from the quarantine requirement and when," Dooey said.

"The current disparity between the nations just causes, at best, utter confusion for travellers. Adding layers upon layers of complexity with all UK nations having different layers at different times is not helpful.

"The figures from some of the Spanish islands, such as the Canaries, show low rates of infection and we are once again appealing to the UK and Scottish Government to add at least the Spanish Canary islands back to the ‘safe list’.

"Winter holidays to the islands could be an important lifeline for the travel sector if the governments can act swiftly and in tandem in placing these islands on the ‘safe list’.

"The confused messaging from the government is making for an exceptionally difficult trading environment, and the very real risk of the demise of the Scottish travel sector along with the inherent damage to the economy which this would undoubtedly cause."

Charlie Cornish, Chief Executive of MAG which owns Manchester, East Midlands and Stansted Airports said: "It is good that Grant Shapps is responding to the concerns of the aviation industry, and committing Government to look at how testing can be used to reduce the time people need to spend in quarantine.

"Adopting a regionalised approach to travel corridors is also welcome news and long overdue.  Even though it will initially mean restrictions on travel to some Greek islands, it should enable key markets like the Balearics and Canaries to open up again more quickly. 

"We look forward to seeing more detail about this targeted approach as soon as possible and to working together to continue refining the system of corridors and quarantine, including considering regions within countries on the mainland.

"The top priority should be bringing in a testing regime that will shorten the period of time passengers have to self-isolate.

"With hundreds of thousands of travel sector jobs at stake and the summer holiday season already behind us, progress must be made on this as a matter of urgency."

Advantage Travel Partnerships Chief Executive Julia Lo Bue-Said warned that testing remained an urgent priority.

"The news announced today that the Government will implement a regionalised quarantine approach to islands is certainly a step in the right direction for the travel industry," she said.

"However after a brutal five months, our industry is on its knees and the fact that the Canary Islands and the Balearics will not be added on to the safe travel list, and a number of Greek islands will require quarantine as of Wednesday further deepens the sense of confusion around travelling anywhere overseas and damages consumer confidence. 

"If we are to have a hope of salvaging the rest of 2020 we must secure the Government’s support on testing at ports of entry.  Testing on arrival and then again five days later would help to reduce the length of quarantine which is causing so much anxiety for consumers and ultimately cancellations of bookings and loss of revenue for travel agents."

She said the industry was still ‘looking down the barrel of 39,000 jobs lost or at risk’.

"Trial runs have been done, airports like London Heathrow are ready to roll out testing on arrival and we urgently need Government support now," Lo Bue-Said added. "Testing combined with regionalised quarantine is the only right and reasonable approach. 

"British jobs depend on the Government to act swiftly and consider the grave economic impact if the issue of testing is delayed further."

Intrepid Managing Director EMEA, Zina Bencheikh, added: "The UK government’s confusing and haphazard approach to quarantine restrictions have caused huge uncertainty for the travel industry.

"We saw an uplift in trading when the safe list was introduced, but this has been hampered by the constantly changing quarantine rules, with customers often forced to change their plans at the last minute.

"Our customers tell us they want to travel overseas but feel frustrated by the lack of clarity.  Airport testing should be brought in to allow the quarantine period to be reduced, while also keeping people safe."

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