During his opening remarks at this year’s ITT Conference on Sunday (12 September), Freudmann also called PCR testing a "pointless exercise" and quoted data from the Office for National Statistics which claimed a quarter of those instructed to do so did not quarantine upon returning to the UK.
"I could complain about the complexity of the rules," he added. "I could complain that the amber category is a complete waste of time and I could complain that with one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world, the UK should be leading the world in opening up to foreign travel, instead of squandering our advantage... but I won’t."
In a bid to make this year’s conference more "positive" and "optimistic", Freudmann spoke about the government’s move to encourage people to take a "staycation".
However, quoting a study carried out by consumer group Which?, Freudmann said accommodation prices in the UK had risen by 41% during the pandemic.
"The biggest irony of all, however, is that the UK currently has 53 Covid cases per 100,000, against only 11 per 100,000 for the EU as a whole," he added.
"In other words, it’s actually safer to go to Spain, France or Italy than it is to go to Cornwall or North Wales.
"So, a staycation is no substitute for a value for money overseas holiday and it’s good news that outbound tour operators are reporting a material increase in the number of customers choosing an overseas package holiday for next year."
Freudmann also quoted a recent report from Resolution Foundation, which found that the average household in the UK has become £7,800 richer during the pandemic, and predicted a "significant chunk" of these savings will be spent on overseas holidays.
