What will it take to restart luxury travel?

“They [agents] will rely on tour operator partners they know will look after clients, and are likely to recommend and sell places they feel comfortable about [themselves],” Richard Dixon, director or Holidaysplease, said at TTG’s online event.

Customers themselves will also want to stick with places that were “memorable and familiar” to them, added Filip Boyen, chief executive, Forbes Travel Guide.

“They trust these places to do the right thing, and hotels to have the right measures in place and to welcome them back,” he said.

Boyen went on to say that “this is a trust crisis, and not a financial crisis” for the luxury travel sector.

“The common goal of the industry is to restore trust at this stage; we’re all in the same boat here, we need to be able to instil confidence in travellers,” he said.

He also called for more in the travel and tourism sector to publish and discuss their own measures.

“We’ve seen all the major hotel brands publish details of their protocols, but we need to see more from people like car rental companies, airlines and DMCs as well,” he said.