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Representatives of UK travel agents have gone before a committee of UK members of parliament to warn that — if more is not done in the wake of the pandemic — a generation of travel agents would lose their livelihoods.
The chief executive of travel agent industry body Abta went before the committee on Monday to tell the government that it needs to do more to support struggling tourism businesses, the Financial Times reports.
Abta CEO Mark Tanzer told the committee that there needs to be a full review of the government’s “traffic light system” — green, amber or red lights for different countries. Ministers are set to update travel advice in three weeks, as the UK is in the midst of its May to September travel peak.
Tanzer said people coming from countries on the “green” list should not have to take the PCR coronavirus test, which can be expensive and prohibitive for travel.
Abta has begun legal proceedings against the government for its alleged failures to provide travel agents with sufficient financial support during the pandemic, the Financial Times reports. The industry body said about 88,000 jobs in the outbound travel sector had already been lost.
Despite the UK’s high vaccination rate, the government recently decreased the number of countries it deems safe for residents to travel to. Portugal, which was previously “green” was downgraded to “amber” due to fears of virus mutations.
Om Monday, UK and US airline executives made a joint appeal to reopen transatlantic routes, the Financial Times reports.
Airlines UK Chief Executive Tim Alderslade told the Financial Times that many tens of thousands of jobs were at risk unless restrictions on travel were eased.
“The UK is falling behind other countries, including many of our competitors in Europe, when it comes to restarting our aviation and travel sectors.
“With the success of the vaccine rollout, it is vital the government takes steps to capitalise on the progress that has been made, otherwise we face doing severe long-term damage to the economy.”
Meanwhile, this is not the only legal action the government is facing over pandemic decisions and regulations. In April, families staying in UK quarantine hotels said they were being subjected to unsanitary conditions and their dietary requirements were not being met, despite paying a high fee to be there.
What do you think of the UK’s travel restrictions? Let us know in the comments!
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