Lo Bue-Said said the pain suffered by the travel industry over the past two years, and the very real challenges it continues to face, could not afford to be "swept under the carpet and forgotten" as the nation looks to emerge from the Covid crisis this year.
Her comments came ahead of a highly anticipated announcement from prime minister Boris Johnson on Monday afternoon (21 February), in which he is expected to confirm plans to scrap the legal restrictions underpinning Westminster’s response to Covid-19.
It is not yet known at this stage whether the so-called "living with Covid-19" announcement will extend to the rules governing international travel, although transport secretary Grant Shapps has spoken of his hopes of shelving passenger locator forms by Easter – suggesting all remaining barriers to travel won’t immediately be removed.
Johnson is due to address the House of Commons at 4.30pm before hosting a televised briefing at 7pm where he will be joined by the UK’s chief medical advisor Chris Whitty and chief scientific advisor Patrick Valance.
“Any relaxation in restrictions that are currently prohibitive to travel are, of course, very welcome, but let nobody be fooled into thinking the travel industry is suddenly fixed," said Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership.
“The travel industry is seriously damaged, in debt and in many cases in trouble, struggling to survive. Travel was probably the only sector during the pandemic that had to keep its staff working – managing rebookings and cancellations despite no income – and is now the only sector that still cannot trade fully."
Lo Bue-Said said after two of the hardest ever years for outbound travel, the sector was far from getting back to normal, despite a positive start to the year. "Even with the UK dropping restrictions, we cannot control what’s happening at the destination," she continued.
"There is still a labyrinth of restrictions and complexity to navigate to arrange travel, and a minefield of confusing regulations – depending on destination – regarding test requirements, quarantine and evidence of vaccination. Much of Asia, for example, is still operating a seven-day quarantine on arrival, regardless of vaccination or tests.
“Our job is to enable travel for everyone yet we still can’t trade as normal. February half-term, for example, is usually one of our peaks, with families ready to shake off the winter blues with a break skiing or in the sun. Despite the euphoria of restrictions easing, this year, our members report bookings are 36% down on 2019."
Lo Bue-Said added: “The travel industry cannot be swept under the carpet and forgotten. The outbound travel sector was the first industry to be affected and is now the last to recover.
"Therefore, continued government engagement with industry is paramount. We must use our influence to drive international harmonisation and in turn, enable the world to travel once more."
