The UK division of travel firm Altour has reported a rapid
uplift in business bookings following a string of recent travel restriction
changes, with September sales up 50 per cent on August’s figures.
The business said the most notable increases were for travel
to the US, which announced that it will begin allowing vaccinated citizens of
the UK and EU into the country from November. According to Altour, sectors
where demand has gone up the most include media, entertainment and publishing
clients.
It said its teams are now preparing for an increase in
enquiries for travel to Africa and parts of South America following last week’s
news of the UK’s travel red list being reduced to just seven countries.
Maria Baty, MD of Altour UK, commented: “It has been a long
18 months for the business travel industry so it is a huge relief to see
bookings begin to rebound. We have clients that want and need to travel
imminently – and, as we’ve said all along, these travellers will be intrinsic
to the overall recovery of the UK’s economy.
“There was an immediate response to the changes announced in
September, in particular the reduction in pre-departure testing and the
confirmation of the US reopening. The fact that we are seeing such a remarkable
response from clients demonstrates just how much government travel policies
have impacted business.”
Baty added: “At the beginning of the pandemic, it wasn’t
uncommon to hear scepticism about the return of business travel – remarks
wondering whether it would ever be the same thanks to a rise of videoconferencing.
On the contrary, the need for impactful corporate travel is more important than
ever. The way we travel may have changed but I believe we are about to see the
resurgence of the travel management company in a way we’ve not seen before.”
Altour UK recently confirmed several new additions to its
operation, including the merging of sister company Barrhead Travel’s business
travel division, as well as bringing on TMC Good Travel Management as an
independent contractor. Altour's parent company Internova Travel Group was ranked the seventh largest TMC in the UK in Europe's Leading TMCs.