It’s already more than two years since we started hearing about the virus in China – and it’ll soon be two years since travel as we knew it came to a halt.

Now here we are again with the new uncertainty brought on by the Omicron variant – and what seems to have been another failure from government to offer the travel industry genuine sector-specific support.

That said, at the time of writing in the final days of 2021, this present crisis-within-a-crisis does feel different. It’s encouraging to see travel brands large and small still marketing next summer, even while new bookings and travel to certain destinations are currently on ice.

We know that there won’t be a return to mass travel until the costly and arguably unnecessary testing regime is dismantled.

But there are signs of encouragement that the government is prepared to listen to some of the arguments from the industry – witness the swift reversal of the reintroduction of the red list in December – and that changes could come early this year.

Either way, the industry needs to work together with government to make 2022 the year when the wholesale decimation of an incredible industry stopped.

It’s never been clearer that the UK needs to understand how best to live with Covid rather than expecting it to end – and in such a way that still enables consumers to experience the pure joy of travel, and for business travellers to be part of a new economic growth.

We at TTG Media will do everything we can to work towards that in the coming months. Let’s look forward to the year when the groundhog was banished – and travel truly roared back.

Daniel Pearce is CEO of TTG Media.