International leisure travel banned for residents in parts of England

Prime minister Boris Johnson said residents in London, south-east England and the east of England will come under new Tier 4 rules at 12.01am on Sunday (20 December).

As a result of the tightened measures – brought in to curb the spread of a new variant of coronavirus – Johnson said Tier 4 residents “will not be permitted to travel abroad except for limited exceptions such as for work purposes”.

He added that those living in other parts of England should “carefully consider whether they should travel abroad” and urged them to follow the rules in their tier.

Restrictions in Tier 4 also include the closure of non-essential retail – which would seemingly see high street travel agencies having to shut.

Reacting to the news on social media, Advantage chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said the tiering system "adds even more complexities" for residents from Tier 4 areas due to travel from tomorrow.

"What measures have the government introduced to help business owners [and] anxious travellers," she added.

Ashley Quint, an agent at Berkhamsted-based TravelTime World, tweeted: "This is just the news agents want at 4pm on the Saturday before Christmas with a number of clients due to travel, due to get Covid tests done... what a mess."