Agents hoping for Brits’ confidence
FLOWERBEDS in front of Buckingham Palace have been redesigned for what is believed to be the first time since the First World War and now feature a tribute to the NHS.
In celebration of the health service’s 72nd birthday, the Royal Parks has created two flowerbeds in front of the
SMALL and independent travel agents have said they hope the lifting of quarantine rules for some countries will spark confidence in Britons to book holidays abroad again.
The Government announced English holidaymakers can embark on overseas trips from today when the Foreign Office will relax its travel advice for around 60 countries, ahead of a lifting of quarantine rules on July 10 for people returning from those destinations.
One independent travel firm said the move is a “step forward”, while another cautiously welcomed the change and said they “will not stop” customers who wish to visit other countries immediately provided it is safe to do so.
But they fear consumer confidence in travelling abroad immediately will be low.
Destinations such as Spain, France, Italy and Germany and British overseas territories are on the Government’s initial list for lifting quarantine restrictions, which was announced last night.
Sue Alexander, managing director of Eagle Travel in Bedford, said: “I’m very pleased there’s finally going to be some clarity on where and when our customers can travel – this is the long awaited announcement the industry needed.
“When the list is published and our customers decide where to go, I’d be very happy to start booking for them again, provided they have travel insurance, and it’s feasible and safe for them to do so.
“We’re not going to start marketing holiday locations for this year as we still need to be careful in moving to the next step, and I still believe most people are reluctant to travel, but we won’t stop the customers who wish to do so if the new changes allow it.”
Other firms said they will be unable to begin taking bookings immediately wanted the flowerbeds to replicate the colours of the NHS, so the letters are formed of white begonias against a blue background of droughtresistant succulents.”
The garden tribute will be in place until mid-September when it will be replanted with 50,000 yellow wallflowers and red tulips for spring. because there are too many questions that need to be clarified.
And Mark Pollard, managing director of Tony Sheldon Travel in Maidenhead, said: “It’s still too early for us to really see the effect this is going to have, we need to wait for the other countries to respond, but it looks like progress has been made.
“Customers can now work out where it is safe to go and it may spark some kind of confidence in them to book over the coming months, though I’ve seen real caution around immediate travel.
“What hasn’t helped us is the dithering over the advice, it should have come a lot sooner, so we will also approach this with caution, maybe holding back on booking holidays for customers straight away.”
Lee Hunt, managing director of Deben Travel in Woodbridge, Suffolk, told the PA news agency: “I welcome the decision and it’s a long overdue step forward, but for us and others in the travel industry this is just the start.
“We still need to wait for more clarity, and we won’t be in the position to book holidays for July or August as there’s still too many unknowns.”