The World Travel & Tourism Council is among a number of organisations to have welcomed England’s new quarantine rules that come into effect later this week.
From 10th July, passengers returning to or arriving in England from a list of more than 50 destinations – deemed at low-risk from Coronavirus – will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days.
The devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will set out their own approaches to easing quarantine restrictions.
The World Travel & Tourism Council “cautiously welcomes” the decision to re-open England’s borders but says there has been “a disappointing lack of co-ordination to ensure the same rules apply at the same time across the whole of the UK”.
“We have learned from the past that a lack of coordination between governments and with the private sector causes long-lasting travel disruption, higher costs and a far slower recovery,” says the WTTC’s president and CEO, Gloria Guevara.
“Removing the quarantine will help safeguard the jobs of millions of people whose livelihoods in the sector have been hanging by a thread.”
Although the development was broadly welcomed, there was also criticism
that some nations named on the list do not have reciprocal agreements in
place – meaning UK arrivals in those destinations might need to
self-isolate on arrival – while others are not currently
admitting flights or visitors from the UK.
Research from The PC Agency and AudienceNet suggests only 25 of the countries on the list can be accessed by visitors from England without restrictions upon arrival, thereby ensuring restriction-free travel in both directions.
They include France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic and Turkey.
“The rest of the countries on the lists are either closed to
international flights, or impossible to enter without either quarantine
of some kind or major testing procedures,” says The PC Agency.
ABTA, meanwhile, welcomed the easing of quarantine rules: "Travel businesses have been under enormous pressure since the start of the pandemic, and the industry can now start to meet customers’ pent-up appetite for travel,” said a spokesperson.
“Getting the balance of health risk and economic risk is a difficult challenge, and we strongly support the government in taking this initiative.
"We now urgently await the approach to be taken by the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to relaxing travel restrictions."
Meanwhile, the ITM’s chief executive Scott Davies says: “Opening up these key business routes is very good news for the business travel sector and the UK economy.
“While the safety and wellbeing of travellers is our members’ number one priority, the effectiveness of the quarantine policy was highly questionable.
“Our members’ number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of their travellers. At the same time, we know many businesses are anxious to travel and trade as soon as possible.”
Andrew Crawley, chief commercial officer at American Express Global Business Travel, says the development is a “positive step towards getting people and the economy moving again, but many in the business community are frustrated that it has taken so long.”
He adds: “Domestic and international trade will both be vital if the country is to successfully rebound from this sustained period of disruption.”
Click here for the full list of countries from which arrivals need no longer self-isolate for 14 days.