London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Holidays: Travel industry begs for 'route out of crisis'

Holidays: Travel industry begs for 'route out of crisis'

The travel industry has urged the prime minister to provide a "roadmap" to get people travelling again this summer.

A number of travel organisations and businesses have written an open letter to Mr Johnson begging for tailored support to prevent more jobs being lost and businesses going bust.

"We urge you to provide a route out of the crisis for the travel industry," it says.

Mr Johnson will set out his plans for easing lockdown rules on 22 February.

Under the current national restrictions, holidays are not permitted anywhere in the UK. International travel is restricted to essential purposes, such as for work, medical appointments, or education.

A government spokeswoman said it has already put in place "one of the most comprehensive and generous packages of business support in the world".

But signatories of the letter have asked for further help to safeguard the livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of people employed in the sector and rebuild the £80bn contribution the sector makes to the UK economy.

It was organised by the Association of British Travel Agents and the Save Future Travel Coalition and its signatories include organisations and businesses across the travel industry, such as Tui, EasyJet Holidays and Airlines UK.

About 160,000 jobs have been lost and many businesses have closed their doors for good during the pandemic, it says.

The economic output for travel fell by 86% for travel agents and tour operators and 90% for aviation, between February and December 2020, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics.

There has been little opportunity to recover or generate cash since Covid-19 first hit the sector 12 months ago, the letter pointed out, with restrictions in place on international travel for much of the last year.

Financial support


The industry said the government needs to provide tailored financial support to help travel businesses through, including grants that take account of the impact of international travel restrictions, and the extension of other support measures, such as business rates relief, into the next financial year.

"We also know that the recovery of travel is likely to be gradual, which will require the maintenance of flexible furlough support throughout the summer season, as well as other regulatory alleviations and support measures to help businesses meet their fixed costs," the letter added.

On top of that it asked the government to:

* Recognise that the industry "cannot wait" for the full roll-out of the vaccination programme before people start to travel again.

* Facilitate travel through a recognised certificate to enable restrictions to be relaxed for vaccinated travellers.

* Return Foreign Office travel advice on Covid-19 to a regional basis, as opposed to a whole country.

* Ensure advice focuses on the risk to people in destinations.

A financial support system for airports in England opened in January, as all UK travel corridors - which had been in place to allow arrivals from some countries to forgo quarantine - were closed.

Aviation minister Robert Courts said at the time that the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme "will help airports reduce" additional costs faced due to the pandemic.

The scheme had first been announced in November, but without a set start date. It involves grants of up to £8m per applicant, to be used to cover fixed costs, such as business rates.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport added: "There is continuous work taking place across government looking at how best to support all sectors of the economy, including the travel industry, and the Budget on 3 March will set out the next phase of economic support.

"On Monday, the prime minister will set out the roadmap for easing restrictions, which we are seeking to do in a cautious and irreversible way."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×