Speaking during TTG’s Agenda 2022 Seminar, MP Huw Merriman said lessons had to be learned from the government’s handling of the pandemic.
He said the government’s attitude had been: “Let’s just shut down international travel – it looks like we’re doing something.”
He added: “That’s caused me great concern because I don’t believe the evidence and the data justified some of the decisions we saw being made.”
He continued: “My concern then was if business can’t be done, there needs to be a sector-specific deal to compensate. “Furlough alone is never going to be enough.”
Merriman said the UK had not been quick enough to take advantage as one of the countries with the earliest vaccine roll-out. “I think we could have allowed international travel to exist without restrictions.”
He said the emergence of Omicron had been “really frustrating”, with international travel banned again.
“All it did was slow the spread by as much as three days. We actually closed the door when Omicron was already here. It was disproportionate in terms of the damage to the international travel industry. It said to consumers you can’t rely on the rules, they could change at any time.
“The one thing we have to learn is stop sacrificing international travel, stop doing things that are disproportionate. We have to look at the cost/benefit analysis of what restrictions will actually do. You have to take into account the damage to people’s livelihoods, to their ability to travel and see their loved ones and take all that into the round. I don’t feel that was done with Omicron.”
He said the industry had needed sector-specific help.
“The government stepped in with some help, but not sector-specific which it should have done because this sector was so susceptible to economic loss.”
Merriman admitted the government had failed to listen to the industry sufficiently during the pandemic, unlike other countries, such as Germany.
“They discussed the evidence and came to an agreement as to what might be put in place. You contrast that with what we had here; no understanding, no data, no transparency for the industry, no ability to feed in good ideas… so much that the industry went to court to challenge decisions.”
