Travel industry needs a long-term revival plan - Chamber
Government must set out a detailed blueprint on the long-term revival of international travel, business leaders have said following the publication of a new traffic light system of rules for international travel.
Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, revealed on Friday that 12 countries, including Gibraltar, Israel and Portugal, have been added to the 'green list ' for travel, whereby from 17 May leisure travel to those countries will not require travellers to quarantine on their arrival to England.
The green list is part of the traffic light system set out by the government 's Global Travel Taskforce, which indicates what rules travellers must follow when entering England from differing destinations.
Amber destinations indicates that passengers must quarantine at home alongside stringent testing, while red listed countries requires passengers to complete a 10-day managed hotel quarantine.
Passengers from green listed countries are required to take a pre-departure test up to 72 hours before their return travel, and a single PCR test on or before day two of their arrival in England.
Raj Kandola (pictured), head of policy at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said that many in the travel industry are questioning whether the measures go far enough.
He said: “Whilst there will have been a sign of relief breathed by travellers on the latest announcements on the restart of international travel, many businesses operating in the travel industry and their supply chains will be questioning whether these measures go far enough.
“For a start, it 's clear that the Government needs to use data in a consistent fashion to constantly review the countries on the Green List as all the important summer seasons beckons and we 've already seen a ramp up in holiday bookings just off the back of Friday 's announcement.
“In addition, we would urge the Government to review the costs associated with travel to Green List countries - many families simply wont be able to afford to take a series of PCR tests and by switching to lateral flow testing, this will no doubt help to drive up levels of consumer and business confidence over the next few months.
“Whilst we understand the balance the Government needs to maintain around supporting the industry and maintaining safety we shouldn 't forget that anchor institutions such as Birmingham Airport support thousands of jobs across the region and contributes £1.5bn in GVA- that 's why it 's so important the Government sets out a detailed blueprint on how they intend to revive international travel in the long term. ”
British Chambers of Commerce co-executive director Hannah Essex added: “We welcome this announcement as a first step on the road to a broader resumption of international travel over the coming months.
"Many businesses will be hoping that this soon leads to a further expansion of the 'green list '. Firms are eager to reconnect with their overseas customers and suppliers, indeed for many having that access could be key to their very survival.
“Firms want to see government do everything it can to continue to drive down the cost of the tests required for business and leisure travellers. These costs must not be allowed to become an impediment to the viability of businesses reliant on tourism, or on UK firms' chances of seizing opportunities for global trade and staking a place in growing markets.
"Government should keep these lists under constant review. Being driven by data and not dates, there should be no hesitation in adding a country to the green list if the data shows it is safe to do so. ”