Travel the Globe director Claire Milby, who has shops in Barrow-in-Furness and Ulverston, urged holidaymakers to book through an agent to help companies recover losses experienced during the pandemic. 

She said: “There’s no avoiding the fact that the travel industry has taken a huge hit throughout the Covid pandemic, and travel-related companies have had to work harder than most to stay afloat.”

“If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that people have really missed the human, personal interaction and that is why a lot of people prefer to use travel agents rather than booking online. We are available to be contacted six days a week, and we’re always there for your every need.

Milby said agents needed the public’s support “more than ever” with the lifting of restrictions.

“When you book your holiday using your local, independent travel agent, you are supporting your town or village as we all live and work in the same area and spend our money at local businesses.”

Travel the Globe was established in Barrow in 2013 and opened its Ulverston office in December 2019, just months before the Covid outbreak.

Milby said: “A lady came into our Ulverston office recently and told us it was the first time in decades she had been into a travel agent. By the time she left, she told us she had such a lovely time and she was glad to have booked through us rather than going online, and that was so heart-warming to hear.”

The government relaxed all remaining travel restrictions at 4am today (18 March), meaning no one entering or returning to the UK will need to take tests or complete the passenger locator form. The remaining hotel quarantine facilities will be wound down from the end of the month. 

However, Milby added: “Destination rules will continue to apply and the importance of booking through a ‘human’ travel agent for peace of mind has never been as high.”