Agents across the country have been interviewed on national and local TV and radio stations to tell viewers and listeners about the relaxation of travel restrictions – and offer advice about booking holidays.
The media blitz comes after prime minister Boris Johnson announced that pre-departure tests for those travelling to the UK would no longer be required from January 7, and that lateral flows would be accepted for day two tests on arrival, and PCRs only required to check for variants if a positive case is identified through a rapid test.
Mark Swords, owner of Swords Travel in Wimbledon, told Good Morning Britain viewers on ITV on Friday (January 7) that he has seen an increase in enquiries since the announcement by the government.
“It is a step in the right direction, but we have got a way to go,” he told viewers.
“People wanted more confidence to go away for summer 2022.
“There are always deals to be had but I would say one thing to get a deal is to make sure that you book early.
“And make sure that you get that booking in advance so you get that right price and the right hotel that you’re looking for.”
Rebbeca Kingston (main picture), co-owner of Flitch Travel, in Great Dunmow, Essex, appeared on BBC Look East to talk about the changes and surge in bookings.
“It is all very positive, it is exactly what we and our clients want to hear, especially after all the gloom and doom over the past two years,” she told Travel Weekly.
She said her TV appearance on Thursday evening (January 6) was good for publicity and had already generated enquiries from people who had seen the report.
The agency, which is not far from Stansted airport, is now looking to recruit a third member of staff as it is so busy with bookings.
Richard Slater, owner of Henbury Travel in Macclesfield and northwest chair for Abta, tweeted that he has been conducting interviews with BBC TV and radio in the northwest about the relaxation of testing rules – and how ‘Sunshine Saturday’ this weekend is the busiest day for booking holidays.
He has been on BBC Northwest twice already this week and is scheduled to appear again on Friday night, with an expected audience of one million viewers. A crew from GB News will visit his agency on Saturday to film a report.
Echoing the comments of Kingston, he said the publicity helps raise awareness about agents and his own business among consumers.
Over the course of the pandemic, he estimates he has been featured 56 times on TV.
Also appearing on the BBC on Thursday was Miles Morgan, chairman of Miles Morgan Travel, which has 19 branches in the west of England.
He was featured on the local evening news bulletin broadcast by BBC TV Points West, answering viewers’ questions about travel.
“I now appear regularly doing this and it has raised our profile a lot,” he told Travel Weekly.
“Questions range from PCRs to rules for entry and Covid passports and most of the same stuff the shops get asked every day.”
He tweeted: “Great to be back on the BBC red sofa when things turn more positive for the travel industry. Now all we need is @grantshapps to deliver a reliable roadmap for the rest of 2022 at the end of the month to give the confidence customers need to keep booking, even the nervous ones!”
Great to be back on the BBC red sofa when things turn more positive for the travel industry. Now all we need is @grantshapps to deliver a reliable roadmap for the rest of 2022 at the end of the month to give the confidence customers need to keep booking, even the nervous ones! pic.twitter.com/CTAPUge1Wn
— Miles Morgan (@MMTMan) January 7, 2022
Elsewhere, Premier Travel’s sales manager, Steve Cox, told Radio Norfolk listeners that the government announcement had prompted more enquiries, both online and by phone to the shops in the east of England.
“We’re not to the levels of pre-Covid but it is a lot busier,” he said.
He told listeners that the different entry forms for each destination were the main query from clients when visiting Premier Travel branches and hoped that the need for forms would be scrapped at some point too.
“That would be the icing on the cake,” he commented.
