Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of The Advantage Travel Partnership has expressed disappointment following the Home Office’s warning that the 10-week deadline to receive a new passport remains in place.
In a statement she said,
“It’s disappointing that holidaymakers will need to allow 10 weeks for new passports this summer. We understand that the issues last year were due to very high demands after Covid which were exceptional circumstances. However, there has been a dramatic improvement in Passport Office performance and this deadline is unnecessarily detrimental to people trying to travel overseas.
Long waits for passports will inevitably put people off travelling at a time when the outbound travel industry is recovering from the hangover of the pandemic. Not only will this rule disrupt planned holidays, and the opportunity to make the most of last -minute deals, but these rules also put further obstacles in the place of business travellers and those visiting family abroad.
If there is continuing high demand for passports, we would urge the government to find a way of dealing with the problem quickly in a way that doesn’t affect British travellers and impact the outbound travel industry.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has reportedly described the demand for passports as ‘elevated’ and ‘volatile’.
