Summer bookings ‘all but on hold’ Juliet Dennis


Overseas bookings for this summer have almost dried up as clients wait to hear about the government’s roadmap out of Covid-19, according to the trade. Some clients had even cancelled or


postponed summer bookings ahead of the prime minister’s statement on Monday, said agents, who blamed recent government comments and posters for the downturn. The sentiments were echoed in a


YouGov poll of more than 5,000 UK adults on February 11 which found just 5% were confident of travelling overseas this summer. The survey


followed several declarations by ministers that it is “illegal to travel now” and “too soon to book”. But agents said consumers have


continued to book for autumn onwards, backing the findings of a January study by Mintel which showed one in three people intend to take an overseas holiday this year. Barrhead Travel president


Jacqueline Dobson said: “Winter 2021 and summer 2022 are by far dominating demand for holidays. “There is no demand right now for


booking summer 2021. Customers still want to travel but are holding off until there are more details about how lockdown restrictions may be eased.”


We’re seeing


departures pushed back, with volumes picking up from Sept


Miles Morgan Travel chairman


Miles Morgan said his agency chain had made only “one or two” bookings for summer in the last week, adding: “The public has been told to wait, so most bookings are for 2022.” Tivoli Travel director Jo Richards


said: “I’ve been surprised about sales for November onwards. I’m doing a group ski booking and bookings for the Maldives and Vietnam, but there’s


nothing coming in for Europe for this summer. Everyone is waiting for Boris’s announcement.” Henbury Travel has taken some


domestic bookings for early summer but more for next winter or 2022. “We’re waiting for clarity,” said


owner Richard Slater, whose letter to MP David Rutley to highlight it is “not illegal to book a holiday” has now been sent to transport secretary Grant Shapps. Advantage Travel Partnership


leisure director Kelly Cookes said: “We’re continuing to see departure dates pushed back, with volumes


starting to pick up from September.” i Mintel research: Business, page 35


Travel campaigns ramp up pressure on government


Juliet Dennis


Two campaign groups ramped up pressure on the government this week with differing demands. Save Our Summer (SOS), which


launched with 110 members including easyJet holidays, Trailfinders and Travelopia on Monday, wants overseas travel allowed from May 1. As Travel Weekly went to press,


490 companies and 1,000 individuals had backed the campaign, which guarantees members will refund or change dates for customers who cannot travel as a result of restrictions. The Save Future Travel Coalition of


4 18 FEBRUARY 2021


trade bodies such as Abta, meanwhile, reiterated its calls to government for “a way forward for the travel industry”, and sector-specific support. The separate demands were made


ahead of the prime minister revealing his eagerly awaited roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions on Monday. SOS, co-founded by The PC


Agency’s Paul Charles and True Travel boss Henry Morley, urges holidaymakers to “ignore conflicting advice” such as government ministers’ ‘don’t book’ messages, and book summer holidays through SOS members. It also wants quarantine measures replaced with a more


An image from the Save Our Summer campaign


extensive testing programme. The promise comes with the


caveat that member operators that have not received refunds from airlines are not obliged to refund in those circumstances – contrary to Abta’s stance on package holiday refunds. Charles said this was because not


all bookings would be packages, but “the spirit” of the campaign was to refund affected packages in full. He noted that Abta guidance isn’t law. Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer,


speaking for Save Future Travel, called on the PM to provide a “route out of this crisis” and “tailored financial support” to help businesses through


the “very difficult months ahead”. The coalition cited fresh Office


for National Statistics figures showing the turnover of agents and operators was 86% down in December compared with February 2020. Meanwhile, the Advantage Travel


Partnership launched a Keep Calm and Dream of Travel campaign urging members to promote future trips. Some in the industry criticised the


number of campaigns. Westoe Travel owner Graeme Brett said there was “anger and frustration among rank and file travel businesses” that trade bodies


were issuing “conflicting demands”. i Get Social, page 21


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