A Nottingham travel agent has said people are still not keen to book holidays despite plans for the government to release a list of “safe travel” countries.
Travel firms across England have been waiting in anticipation as announcements from the government regarding travel have begun to roll out.
But Leo Ford, director of Just Journey, a travel agency based in West Bridgford was more downbeat and said people were not that enthusiastic at the moment to book holidays.
“There is very little confidence in travel at the moment, and the news from places like India doesn’t help,” he said.
“People have been very much put off travel by the pandemic, along with the quarantine and fines if you do go on holiday”.
This follows a recent announcement that the government’s “green list” of countries is due to be released this week, allowing free travel to a handful of countries.
But the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has said a number of Greek and Spanish islands are regarded as low risk which include Corfu, Crete, Kos, Rhodes and Zakynthos in Greece, as well as all the Canary Islands like Tenerife and Lanzarote.
The UK government plans to lift the travel ban, from England at least, from May 17.
This comes as International Trade Secretary Liz Truss urged people in England to not to book summer holidays as of yet. But the comments have caused frustration among travel businesses who look to returning to normality.
Mr Ford added: “It’s very frustrating the impact it’s having on our industry, but at the same time to be honest I can understand the reasons for being overcautious, especially when you look at the impact it had on the country last autumn”.
As businesses across England have begun to reopen, travel agencies are still yet to return to normal.
“We have had a handful of enquiries and bookings, so far from busy. We don’t expect to hear much news until May 17,” Mr Ford said.
