Britons ‘giving up hope of foreign trips this summer’
Most Britons have already given up hope of a summer holiday abroad, according to a new poll that has prompted calls for ministers to do more to restore confidence in overseas travel.
The government performed a U-turn on Friday, reversing official advice not to book flights to the sun this year. But a list of “green”, or safe, countries to visit under a new traffic light system will not be released for weeks. Experts have also warned the high cost of required Covid-19 tests will put off would-be travellers. A new poll for The Independent, carried out before the U-turn, shows most people do not believe they will be able to travel abroad this year.
One in three who have abandoned hopes of a trip outside the UK described themselves as “angry”. Almost half of those asked, 46 per cent, said they did not think they would be able to take a holiday abroad this year
and still thought that. Another 22 per cent said they had thought they would be able to go overseas but were no longer of that view. Of those who had initially expected to fly abroad this year more than one in three, 37 per cent, said they felt “angry” about the situation. Chris Hopkins, from Savanta ComRes, which carried out the poll, said: “The public look fairly resigned to not taking a holiday abroad this summer, and this attitude is backed up with the general trend that we’ve seen throughout the pandemic: one of caution, and that many are happy to wait for restrictions to be eased before diving headfirst into making plans.
“However, those that did think they might get abroad but now think that they won’t, are more likely than not to be angry about it, and while all the public have ever wanted from the government is clarity and pragmatism regarding when freedoms may be reestablished, communications regarding foreign travel are probably not top of the government’s priority list.”
Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “The government has misjudged the mood of the public and the travel industry. With such success on the vaccination rollout, and infections rapidly declining in the UK, many were expecting the government to open up overseas travel more quickly and with more clarity. The poll findings symbolise the mood of the country, which wants to start getting back to normal more quickly.
“That includes travel and regular, widespread and cheaper testing is the answer. If lateral flow tests are good enough for schools, then they are good enough to help restart travel from green countries from 17 May.”
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Concerns around the cost and safety of travel – along with questions over how easy it will be to claim a refund should a holiday need to be cancelled – have dented confidence in taking holidays abroad this summer.
“Many of those who have already booked may now find themselves faced with the choice of cancelling and losing their money, or postponing their trip. The government’s plans to restart international travel may offer some reassurance to those who had hoped to go abroad this summer, but more needs to be done to give people the confidence that it will be safe and affordable to book when the time comes, and to prevent another disastrous summer for the travel industry.”
Savanta ComRes, which carried out the poll, asked 2,065 people between 2 and 4 April. On Friday Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, set out plans for the new system. Announcing that the government was changing its advice, he said: “I’m not telling people that they shouldn’t book summer holidays now – it’s the first time I’ve been able to say that for many months.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Whatever we do, we will not risk throwing away our hardwon UK achievements, which have only been possible through the hard work of the British people.
“We understand that people are anxious to travel abroad, but we can only permit it if it is done safely – and our greatest concern is to protect public health throughout.”