ABTA have issued a statement in response to the Government update on the Canary Islands, the Maldives, Denmark and Mykonos. An ABTA spokesperson commented:
“After a terrible summer season, the removal of the need to quarantine when returning to the UK from the Canary Islands, the Maldives, Denmark and Mykonos is a bit of light at the end of a very dark tunnel for the travel industry.
“We have been highlighting the need to move to a regional approach to quarantine, citing the Canary Islands as a specific example, so it is good to see the Government take action on this today.
“But we must remember that the pandemic brought foreign travel to a standstill and for most companies there has been little or no chance to start a recovery. The Chancellor’s update to the Job Support Scheme today, while an improvement, still leaves many travel companies facing difficult decisions around jobs in the weeks ahead. The Government needs to look at introducing tailored support for the industry to help companies through the winter.
“It is also vital that the Government seeks to fully regionalise travel corridors and transition away from the current global advisory against all but essential travel by moving back to country specific Foreign Travel Advice.”
