Travel firms have called on the government to provide urgent financial help as fresh Covid-19 restrictions come in to force on Tuesday, hitting holiday travel just before the peak booking period.
Turnover has been at just 22% of normal levels for tour operators, according to figures from the travel association Abta.
Hopes for recovery, lifted last month by the reopening of transatlantic travel and the removal of all destinations from the red list, have been dented by rules brought in since the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Travellers must take a pre-departure test from Tuesday before they set out for the UK. The red list was extended to Nigeria on Monday, after South Africa and others 10 days ago, meaning that all returning citizens must enter mandatory hotel quarantine.
Abta said the new restrictions could “tip companies over the edge”. The restrictions on South Africa have effectively ended holiday travel before the destination’s peak season, while additional testing and the reintroduction of PCR…
