BUSINESS NEWS
The turnover of travel agencies and accommodation providers in
November was just 21% that of last February, according to the ONS
ONS data reveals Covid impact on travel sector
Agency and operator turnover was down 86% y-o-y in December. By Ian Taylor
The UK Office for National Statistics has laid bare the impact of the Covid pandemic on travel as the industry ratchets up demands on the government for targeted support and a pathway to recovery. The ONS brackets travel agency
and accommodation businesses together and reported these “saw the sharpest decline in turnover” of any sector during the first national lockdown. Data released on Monday showed turnover fell to 9.3% of February levels last May. However,
36 18 FEBRUARY 2021
the comparison with February downplays the impact. A year-on-year comparison shows turnover last May fell below 7%. Travel agency and accommodation
turnover in November remained at just 21% of the February level and 20% of that in November 2019. The wider impact across travel
and tourism was less pronounced, with turnover across all parts of the industry hitting a first-lockdown low in May of 26% of February’s level, but that compared with 74%
across “all other industries”. Travel and tourism also saw
“the largest fall in employment of any age group” in any sector among 16-24-year-olds, with more than 40% of all jobs lost to workers in this age group in the three months to September. The number of people reporting
their main job as in travel and tourism fell 10.8% year on year in the summer.
Continued on page 34
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BUSINESSNEWS
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