Advantage Travel Partnership has brought out a ‘comeback campaign’ to help members give accurate advice to holidaymakers following the easing of travel restrictions.
The travel agency consortium is providing members with marketing assets and an up-to-date checklist to refer to when making bookings.
This follows the removal of the 14-day quarantine period in England from July 10 for certain destinations, including France, Spain and Cyprus, and the lifting of Foreign Office advice for a set list of destinations from today, July 4.
The consortium’s ‘Say Hello To…’ marketing materials have been designed for Advantage members’ top-selling destinations and will be available to its agents to use to encourage customers to book.
The marketing tools will reiterate Advantage’s Count On Us message to show holidaymakers can rely on Advantage agents for holidays during the current uncertainty.
The consortium’s ‘Traffic Light – 10 Point Travel Checklist’ for members has been compiled based on the government’s announcement it will introduce a ‘traffic lights system’ to highlight safe destinations. Countries are due to be ranked as green, amber or red to highlight their Covid-19 risk but the government’s initial list of ‘safe’ destinations has not made those differentiations clear.
The checklist, only currently applicable to customers departing from and arriving into England, covers what agents should check prior to departure, such as government travel advice on the Foreign Office website, specific entry and health requirements, personal protective equipment (PPE) for transport, hotel facilities and whether the client has Covid-19 travel insurance.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage, said travel agent advice would become even more important in the new travel environment.
She said: “We welcome this update from the Government as visitors will now be able to travel to and from the selected countries without the need of quarantining upon to their return.
“It’s important that whilst we see the industry begin to move forward, the experience of travelling abroad will have changed quite considerably and the support and advice from your local travel agent will now be more valuable than ever.
“From providing advice on what to expect whilst transiting through the airport, what safety precautions travellers will need to take on flights, to how transfers and resorts will operate, booking through a travel agent will provide the British public with an added layer of reassurance and peace of mind.”