Do you agree with airlines taking legal action against the Government?

Hundreds of agents are expected to join a Travel Day Of Action in London, Edinburgh and Belfast, to lobby for a safe restart of international travel

The travel industry feels hard done by and is preparing to fight back.

Until now, the tourism industry has been patient, waiting for vaccines to be safely administered with the hope a return to foreign travel could follow. As yet, however, those hopes have failed to materialise.

Now Tui, Virgin, Ryanair and British Airways are taking legal action, and today (June 23) hundreds of agents are expected to join a Travel Day Of Action in London, Edinburgh and Belfast, to lobby for a safe restart of international travel. Consumers can also take part in a Twitterstorm planned at 2pm by using the hashtag #traveldayofaction.

Organised by travel body ABTA, the protest intends to put pressure on the government to expand the green list of countries where quarantine-free travel is permitted, whilst retaining a strong red list to safeguard against variants. They are also calling for a package of tailored financial support, to help the ailing industry.

In an open letter to Boris Johnson, the World Travel & Tourism Council has warned the government that the UK faces a £639 million daily loss if international travel remains off limits in July, and up to 218,000 more jobs in the sector are also at serious risk of being lost, if no action is taken now – in addition to the 307,000 jobs which were lost in the UK last year.

For most of us, the cancellation of foreign holidays is both frustrating and annoying. But for so many people employed by the industry – both here and overseas – the ripple effects have resulted in a tsunami of disasters. In Africa, for example, where tourism provides a lifeline, thousands have been left jobless and unable to feed their families; precious wildlife has been poached out of hunger and desperation; and cases of domestic violence have soared.

If managed properly, the travel industry believes there is a way to carefully restart their sector. Over 47% of British adults have already been double vaccinated, and with appropriate measures put in place, the travel industry believes those people should have the freedom to travel. From July 1, Europeans will already be on their way thanks to the Green Pass – offering proof a person has tested negative for Covid-19, or received a vaccine.

Do you believe the travel industry has a case? Should the Government allow people the freedom to travel from 1st July, alongside the Europeans?