New testing rules a body blow for travel sector in Suffolk
From today, passengers will have to show a negative PCR test before they enter the UK
Last updated 7th Dec 2021
Any passenger entering the UK from today will need to show a negative PCR test before their departure, to go along with tests on the second after they arrive.
The red list of countries has also been reinstated for those with a high number of new cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
These measures have left the already struggling travel sector in limbo. That's according to Bridget Keevil who runs Travel Stop, an independent travel agency based in Suffolk.
She says, "The new rules will have knocked the confidence of anybody that is either booked to travel or is looking to travel, especially with the addition of the red list of countries.
"They could be on holiday and within 24 hours or so they could be stuck in a red-listed country or have to pay a huge amount of money to self isolate in a hotel when they get home."
Ms Keevil believes the manner in which the new rules were announced was also inappropriate.
"Why do it at 5 o'clock on a Saturday? And why announce it on Twitter? There should be a conduit that government can let the travel industry know what's going on before they announce it to the public so that we're ready and we've got all of the answers for when we need to tell the customers", she says.
So what can the Government do to support the sector? Ms Keevil says, "The first thing they could do is to offer to pay for all of the tests for the customers. If they want passengers to have a test pre-departure and to test when they get back, they should offer them free of charge.
"They need to put sector specific grants in place to help travel agents who have had very little income over the past two years. We were just getting back on track and now, this has knocked again.
"We need some sector specific help to make sure that tour operators and travel agents make it through to the other side of this."
Another travel agent Julie Croucher believes that no Government help is forthcoming. Ms Croucher, who runs Travel with Jules in Woodbridge, says that she had to contact all her clients who were about to travel and yet again, make changes and cancellations to existing bookings.
"Consumer confidence has never been lower and after 20 months of working for nothing, I’m not holding out much hope that Government will ever help us. I have contacted my MP and local Council yet again but they haven’t helped so far."