Agents say the removal of quarantine restrictions for Portugal has done little to boost bookings as most clients have given up on the idea of an overseas holiday this summer.
Since Saturday, UK visitors to Portugal have no longer had to quarantine on their return and the Foreign Office no longer advises against all but essential travel.
Jet2holidays, which began its programme on Monday, has added capacity to Portugal. Tui restarts operations there on Friday.
More: Portugal added to government ‘safe list’
While Portugal was added to the Department for Transport’s quarantine exemption list, tourists returning from Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago now have to self-isolate for 14 days. The FCO also advises against non-essential travel to these destinations.
Despite price comparison site icelolly.com seeing an immediate spike in interest in Portugal and Club Med reporting a 173% upturn in bookings for Club Med Da Balaia, high street agents said the change in advice had not translated into bookings.
Price comparison site TravelSupermarket reported that searches from the UK for package holidays to Portugal have soared since the removal of quarantine restrictions.
The destination shot up from being 33rd on the list of searched-for destinations to be the top of the table.
Searches during the period of August 20-25 are 1,778% higher than the same days in the previous week (August 13-18).
Miles Morgan Travel chairman Miles Morgan said: “It doesn’t make any difference that Portugal has come on stream or mean that people will now book for October – the [official advice] approach has caused 100% uncertainty.”
Spear Travels group managing director Peter Cookson said the Portugal change was “too little, too late”, adding: “We got four bookings for Portugal on Friday and Saturday; it’s not setting the world alight.”
Full Circle Travel managing director Niall Douglas, who took one Portugal booking at the weekend for a couple whose honeymoon had been cancelled, said: “People are more worried about quarantine than coronavirus. They don’t want to go away while these measures are in place.”
Neil Basnett, director at Holiday Inspirations, said: “People are saying ‘what’s the point?’ Most have abandoned any idea of going away until next year.”
Advantage Travel Partnership head of business development David Moon said the “bombshell” change in advice for Spain had crippled consumer confidence.
