Latest research from the Office for National Statistics conducted in August show 44.5% of those interviewed for the monthly International Passenger Survey thought testing was very important for safety. This compares with 73% in February and 52.7% in July.

The shift in attitudes is confirmed by the number who said testing was “quite important”, which has risen from 22.2% in February to 36.2% in July. Similarly, those saying tests were “not at all important” have risen from just 0.8% in February to 6.8% in August.

There was some less positive news for travel when it came to overseas restrictions, as attitudes to these remain an obstacle. A third of people interviewed rated overseas restrictions as “very difficult and 46.8% as “difficult”, figures which have been broadly consistent since last winter.

Research was also carried out into the travelling experience, with 66.8% saying they were happy with social distancing in airports and 72% happy with the wearing of face coverings.

The ONS data also shows the prevalence of vaccines among UK travellers. As of August, 82% of UK travellers interviewed were vaccinated and 14% were unvaccinated.