But first, it’s worth reminding ourselves how far we’ve got to go. Recently released data from the Office for National Statistics shows the number of people travelling abroad last summer was down by 76% to just 6.1 million compared with pre-pandemic levels.

Getting back to those levels will need a mass return to overseas travel by most, if not all, of the people who used to go abroad on holiday.

However, PwC’s research over the past 12 months suggests we may see a two-speed recovery, one that first involves those keen to resume travelling as normal – many of whom will already have been abroad since the start of the pandemic – and then those consumers I call “timid travellers”.

For the past year, around 30% of respondents to our quarterly travel sentiment survey who are regular holiday takers have told us they don’t feel comfortable taking an outbound holiday until the risk from Covid is much lower.

By contrast, those who have already been away are in excess of three times more likely to want to go away again, including in the very-short term (i.e. pre-summer). Many of them also state they plan to travel for leisure more in 2022 than in 2019.

So what do we know about these timid travellers? Firstly, they’re in every age bracket, although they make up a greater proportion of consumers aged 55-plus. They are also present in numbers in younger groups too, and in every social class.

Secondly, there are a number of inter-linked factors contributing to their nervousness – the potential need to quarantine, in-destination or upon their return; the need for testing; concern about the impact of Covid on the in-destination experience; worries about getting a refund if a trip is cancelled; and fear of getting Covid, all of which 30-35% of consumers cite as a big barrier, one that is not by coincidence similar in size to the timid traveller cohort.

’First trip hump’

The good news is that some of these barriers are coming down as governments ease restrictions on travel. But relying on this alone to save the day ignores the factors agents and operators can influence.

This is where I believe travel companies can make a difference – by recognising these concerns exist, and by helping the customer build confidence to travel.

This can be by talking knowledgeably about what it’s like in-resort at the moment, or outlining the flexibility on refunds and rebooking that is available to customers.

This is particularly the case for those agents and operators selling to people less likely to have been away already. Once you get people over the hump of their first trip, our research suggests they’ll be much keener to go on their next trip.

Another thing that would make sense is staying in touch with those who have been away, as our research suggests they’ll be keen to go again – there’s a lot of making up for lost time to be done.

Working on those timid travellers could be the difference between getting back to 80% of normal this year and getting all the way back by this summer.

David Trunkfield is hospitality, travel and leisure industry lead at PwC UK (PricewaterhouseCoopers).