This week’s announcement from the Government about its quarantine policy and travel from specific islands to England is a shift away from whole-country travel restrictions, which will hopefully open up more destinations in the coming months and also, more importantly, act as a precursor to further regulatory change to reopen international travel.

ABTA has been in talks with the Government for weeks, and we have made it clear that a regionalised approach to quarantine measures and FCDO travel advice is needed. We will continue to push for an even more targeted approach akin to that adopted in Germany and the Netherlands, which differentiates between different regions within countries. 

The Government also said they are actively working on the practicalities of using testing to release people from quarantine earlier than 14-days. ABTA has maintained that an effective and targeted testing regime is essential to enable travel to restart to major trading partners.

Now Parliament’s summer recess is over, there will be a greater chance for debate about the support that is required for our industry, and MPs will have the chance to voice the concerns that many of you have raised directly in meetings with them on our industry’s behalf. We have already seen the vital role travel plays in underpinning international trade raised this week by Members of the Transport Committee, and this afternoon there will be two specific backbench debates held, one on aviation and one on tourism, where we expect a number of MPs to speak up in support of the industry.

As we approach the Budget, ABTA will continue to work with industry partners to ensure the voice of travel is heard and to urge Government to act to Save Future Travel.

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive