The Travel Network Group (TTNG) has revealed the devastating impact of the pandemic on members’ revenues over the past year in an impassioned plea for dedicated sector-specific support for travel.
The consortium said members’ revenues were down 85% in the period from March 2020 to February 2021 compared to the same period in 2019/20, mirroring new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on the impact of the pandemic on travel and tourism businesses.
The ONS data shows turnover among travel and tourism businesses as a whole dipped to 26% of pre-pandemic (February) levels in May 2020.
Accommodation and travel agency businesses were hardest hit, with turnover falling to 9.3% of February levels in May and peaking at only just over 60% in August when some travel resumed.
“What this data from the ONS confirms is the devastating impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the travel industry, something we have been hearing from our members since last March," said TTNG chief executive Gary Lewis.