The high costs of PCR testing has been at the forefront of most holidaymakers concerns recently, with a lot of people beginning to question why they are necessary. The government has now, finally, begun to crack down on rogue PCR companies who are charging exterminate rates for testing, however holidaymakers are still having to shell out for the tests, even though they are fully vaccinated.
The government claims that the PCR testing on day two of travellers returning from holiday is necessary for their Genomic sequencing research, however holidaymakers and travel bodies alike have slammed the government for passing the cost of testing to holidaymakers rather than covering it themselves.
And it seems our readers agree! The results of our online reader survey show that the majority of people feel that having to take a PCR test when you return from an Amber list country would put them off going.
A whopping 73% said that having to take the mandatory day two test was a hassle, while 27% said that it was easier than they thought.
Not surprisingly, the overall cost of PCR testing was also cited as one of the main reasons people were being put off travelling to an Amber list destination.
Other reasons given by respondents included that while the day two PCR test taken on return from holiday didn’t put them off, having to take a PCR test three days before leaving the resort did. The main reason cited was worry over having to quarantine abroad, and the expense that would be incurred, if the test came back positive.
Those who said the testing would not put them off said they had “done it already” and it was “pricey but worth it”.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has previously slammed the “crippling added cost” of PCR testing as “unnecessary” saying they “are partly to blame for the tourism industry’s struggles” and called on the Prime Minister to foot the bill.
Virginia Messina, WTTC acting Chief Executive, said: “For many people, the crippling added cost of the unnecessary PCR tests makes the difference between being able to travel or not.
“It’s clear that many British adults simply can’t afford to travel overseas at all if they have to pay the excessive cost of PCR tests.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has recommended that people opt for PCR tests to travel, even when other options are available. He said: “If you have the choice between multiple tests the PCR ones are particularly helpful.”
The WTTC then hit back saying “if the Government wants extra information for Genomic sequencing – they should pay for it”.
It has also come to light that holidaymakers, shelling out for expensive PCR tests, could be waiting their money as 150,000 PCR test results by private companies are ending up in what is being called a ‘testing black hole’ after remaining unregistered.
The ‘testing black hole’ means private testing companies are not passing on the personal information data to the government, for tracing purposes, effectively defeating the purpose of the testing programme.
