"If you build it, he will come."

For reasons best known to Ray, he interprets this as a call to build a baseball diamond in his corn field, and despite everyone thinking he’s one tool short of a full box, he sacrifices his crop and starts building.

Anyone who’s seen the film Field of Dreams will recognise the scene.  

Ray, played by Kevin Costner, goes on to finish his baseball field and (spoiler alert) his baseball heroes return from the past to play in his packed stadium.

At the risk of providing social media with a direct quote, oven-ready (as they say) to be taken out of context, I’ve thought about Kevin Costner a lot during the last six months.  

Like Kevin, we need to start building because, let’s face it, our crop has already failed and there’s really not too much left to lose!  

End of metaphor – you get the picture.

There are only two scenarios that will result in the full long term recovery of the travel industry: The development and global distribution of a Covid-19 vaccine; or the slow evolution of the disease such that it becomes endemic (and hopefully less virulent).  

Until, one or other of these outcomes is achieved, the objective for all of us must be to facilitate safe international travel in a world where the coronavirus continues to circulate.

To this end, the mood music from government has recently become much more positive.  

Grant Shapps has listened and is beginning to morph from self-appointed chief travel preventer, into someone who recognises not only the enormous economic and social benefits of travel, but also, more pertinently, the political popularity that will be showered on those that give the British public permission to holiday again.

The health and well-being of the UK population is quite rightly the number one priority of government.  

If they want to make sure that nobody is bringing the coronavirus to the UK from overseas and spreading it domestically then quarantine is a simple and obvious measure to put in place.  

But quarantine kills travel – no ifs, no buts. For the majority of people, a month off work and two weeks in complete isolation is too high a price to pay for a two week holiday.

So the challenge now is how to use the evolving science to eradicate the need for quarantine whilst maintaining focus on the core objective, keeping the virus at bay.  

Here, progress has been significant.  

While vaccine development is a slow and often fruitless task, the development  of quick and efficient testing is much more achievable.

This is what we need to build; an affordable and internationally recognised testing regime which removes the need for quarantine.  

With this solution in place we can stop using FCDO advice as a blunt tool to prevent travel and we can once again promote holidays with confidence.  

The formation of the Global Taskforce is a very welcome step in the right direction.

Perhaps Grant Shapps has had his own encounter with a mysterious voice: "If you build it Grant, they will come".

And just like Ray, maybe Grant can still end this film as the hero – as the man who set Britain travelling again.