Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
VIRUS CRISIS: VAXX BOOSTER
Tui chief’s foreign travel hope
THE boss of travel giant Tui is “optimistic” families will get to go on foreign holidays this summer.
Friedrich Joussen said large-scale vaccination schemes here and in Europe were key to jetting off again. It came as he revealed booming demand for getaways, with 2.8 million bookings last month.
Tui expects to operate up to 75% of its normal summer schedule. People will be allowed to travel abroad from May 17 under the road map to easing Covid restrictions. Mr Joussen said: “We are still confident we will have a decent summer.
“All medical advice we are getting says existing vaccines are working with existing variants.” He added he expected some countries to ask travellers to prove they had been vaccinated before they can fly.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps recently said tourists will have to take tests before leaving and on arrival – even from low-risk “green” countries.
It comes amid criticism of how much travellers are having to pay for PCR tests, with No10 threatening to crack down on “profiteering” firms.
UK companies currently charge an average of £141 for each check for overseas travel, more than twice as much as other European countries. Ministers want the bill cut to nearer £60 and there is also criticism that VAT is charged on tests.
Experts fear the cost will price many families out of summer hols. Mr Joussen said: “The cheaper it gets, the better it works and the less harmful it is for the general economy.” Last week, the boss of easyjet called for families to be able to enjoy testfree holidays to most EU countries. Johan Lundgren also wants the release of the list of low-risk nations. He said: “I would expect almost all major European countries to be in that category.” Meanwhile, the World Travel and Tourism Council said the industry globally has seen income slump by £2.9trillion, leaving more than 62 million people out of work.
It wants international travel to resume in June to stem further losses.
Mr Shapps recently scrapped his advice not to book foreign holidays.
He said: “I think we’ll be able to restart international travel, including cruises, in a safe and secure way.”
Mark Tanzer, head of trade body ABTA, called the Government’s plan for reopening flights “overcautious”.
He told Travel Weekly: “We’ve said to ministers, ‘Waiting until the day before May 17 before telling us means travel won’t restart on May 17’.
“It talks about vaccination levels, the presence of variants, but there is no guidance as to how high those thresholds will be set or which countries will come into that category.”
It comes amid pressure to tackle lengthy border checks at UK airports.
Advice says existing vaccines work with existing variants FRIEDRICH JOUSSEN , RIGHT, ON JABS ROLLOUT