Stop demonising overseas travel, AITO tells Government ministers

Travel agents and tour operators are being demonised by the Government which is creating the impression it is illegal to book an overseas summer holiday, the head of AITO has said.

Fresh from the collapse of Tucan Travel, the second AITO member to fall victim to Covid, chairman Chris Rowles said consumers are confused by ‘flippant’ messages from ministers and unsure if they are even allowed to book an overseas break.

The remarks came as AITO drew up an eight-point plan that it believes will go some way to rescuing the beleaguered industry.

With ministers peddling the benefits of a domestic holiday, AITO said they are ‘frightening’ the public into ditching the prospect of a foreign trip and leaving operators and agents which rely on international bookings with little or no trade.

Outbound and inbound operators, together with travel agents, have been ‘abandoned’ and are expendable as far as the Tory Government is concerned, the body believes.

"Ministers forget the physiological and educational benefits of foreign holidays, they are unfairly demonising the outbound tourism sector and they are also confusing the public with their contradictory messages," Rowles said.

The plight of the sector was again underlined with the collapse of Tucan, with administrator Begbies Traynor revealing the operator had encountered ‘unprecedented financial difficulties’.

"The travel industry has borne the brunt of the pandemic and despite taking a number of difficult decisions to mitigate the worst impacts of the crisis, the company has been unable to withstand overwhelming financial pressure," Partner Gareth Prince.

Despite the collapse of Tucan, and several companies before it, many feel the Government has, almost inexplicably, failed to grasp the perilous state the industry is in.

While the plight of airlines and airports – and the importance of saving them – has been well documented, the role played by agents and operators in filling aircraft seats has been ‘totally overlooked’, AITO said.

It argued that decades of expertise will vanish from the industry if more businesses fail, while destinations dependent on arrivals from the UK will suffer, as will sustainability and conservation projects they support.

Among measures outlined in the AITO plan was a plea for ministers to make it ‘crystal clear’ that holidays can still be booked without breaking the law.

"We accept that the current lockdown is unlikely to finish until the end of March, out of necessity and to protect everyone," AITO said.  "But this does not mean that booking a summer holiday is unlawful.

"Overseas summer holidays can still be booked, as they would be in a normal year, and this key message must be communicated clearly and accurately – by Government Ministers, MPs and the media – to allow us to trade.

"It’s wrong to panic people by miscommunication into believing, incorrectly, that the law allows only staycations in the UK to be booked."

AITO also called on the Government to liaise closely with political counterparts in countries that are working to open borders by the end of April.

Urging ministers to aim for a May reopening of travel corridors, AITO said: "While currently running behind the UK’s vaccination schedules, all will have Covid-secure rules to follow for the safety of residents and visitors alike in time for their first visitors’ arrival.

"Government-to-government liaison on this front is vital to ensure procedures are pre-agreed and run smoothly,"

It also called on the Government to back airports and airlines in their testing regimes and to work with the insurance industry to ensure theree is genuine cover for cancellations caused by Covid infections.

"There is a lot riding on our Government’s key initiatives at present, and on Government getting it right," Rowles said.

"We urge all Cabinet Ministers in particular to pay attention to our 8-Point Road Map and not to make flippant remarks that, as in times of war, cost jobs and lives.

"And we hope that the Chancellor considers carefully his budget options and includes a suitable leg up for outbound tourism, to keep not only many thousands of people’s jobs secure in the UK but also to help us deliver economic support to UK inbound travel as well as to host countries overseas."