Travel to major European destinations unlikely to restart before August
Overseas holidays are unlikely to take off in meaningful numbers until August, overseas tourism officials have warned.
PM Boris Johnson pushed back the final ‘Freedom Day’ Covid easing until 19 July as most tour operators extend cancellations well into July and beyond.
Toni Mayor, chief of the Hosbec association of Valencia region hoteliers said UK outbound passenger traffic will be muted until at least August, following a meeting with the UK ambassador.
"The overall infection levels in Spain are still high in places and the picture is uneven, so I think we will have to wait," mayor said.
Turkish tourist officials have also reportedly received similar messages from Foreign Office officials.
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet have been cancelling flights until after 19 July.
The UK’s largest tour operator TUI has also cancelled holidays into July citing ‘ongoing uncertainty.’
"All customers impacted by these cancellations will be contacted directly and will be able to request a full cash refund," the company said.
Destinations across Europe are not expecting any major changes in the travel advice issued to Britons before the beginning of August.
It comes as countries crack down on travel from the UK, mindful of the fast spreading Delta variant.
The Netherlands has issued quarantine restrictions for travel from the UK while Ireland and Italy could follow.
Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi said it may ‘have to re-impose quarantine for those who arrive from Britain’ if the number of variant cases continues to rise.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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