Despite some tentative signs of recovery for travel, no one in the industry doubts the amount of hard work – and good fortune – it will yet take to restart international travel.
Prime minister Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” announcement on 22 February set the tone for this work, advocating a cautious but irreversible transition out of lockdown over the coming weeks and months.
The first meeting of a new Global Travel Taskforce, on 2 March, has been welcomed by travel, raising hopes of greater industry input into its 12 April report assessing how travel can restart safely.
Destinations are making encouraging noises too about reopening promptly to the UK market; Cyprus has said it will reopen to vaccinated Brits in May, and Greece has hinted at a similar approach.
Spain and Portugal, meanwhile, have spoken of creating more formal “green” – or vaccine – corridors, in line with the EU’s work on a “digital green pass”. It hopes to have a plan ready by 17 March.