After Switzerland joined, travel agencies are scrambling to reschedule ski holidays in Switzerland Spain As people are increasingly worried about the spread of the new Omicron Covid variant, travel restrictions have been tightened.
From Saturday night, Switzerland Mandatory isolation for 10 days For all newcomers, the ski holiday in the Swiss Alps is actually ruined until further notice. Travel companies are also struggling to deal with Spain’s ban on unvaccinated immigrants, which will affect British holidaymakers starting on Wednesday, December 1.
Israel is also expected to announce a two-week ban on foreign tourists, which may take effect from Monday.
The introduction of international measures to limit the spread of the new Covid variant came as tour operators warned that the new testing regime for arrivals in the UK, which is expected to come into effect early this week, “has a huge blow to travel companies.”
Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that all people arriving in the UK “must undergo a two-day PCR test and self-quarantine until they receive a negative result”. For a family of four who wants a quick turnaround test so that they can leave the quarantine area in one day, this may increase their holiday costs by about £400. These measures will be reviewed within three weeks.
Thomas Cook, the UK’s largest tour operator, said that in light of the emergence of Omicron, people are already rethinking travel plans. Despite discounts on Black Friday promotions, sales during the Saturday holiday stayed the same as in previous weeks. After Johnson’s announcement on Saturday night, consumer confidence is expected to decline. On Sunday, it is contacting customers who have booked a Swiss ski holiday to reschedule a different country or move the holiday to next year.
The timing of the new restrictions in the UK is detrimental to the tourism industry, because the next few weeks before the payday in January are considered a critical period for next year’s sales holiday, and operators are worried that uncertainty about the impact of the new virus strain will lead to a decline in bookings. Tighter rules set by Spain, a key market, will only add to the difficulty.
TUI, which operates ski holidays under the Crystal Ski brand, said: “Any customers who don’t want to travel and plan to travel before December 13th can use Crystal Ski Holidays to change the policy for free. We will continue to monitor these restrictions. If all UK immigrants are still quarantined, we will cancel the holiday and customers will receive a full refund within 14 days.”
EasyJet flying everywhere Europe, Stated that its customers “can change flights within two hours before departure without paying a change fee. EasyJet also continues to provide market-leading refund policies for people affected by the European travel ban, which means they can get refunds and vouchers Or transfer to a later date for free, even if their flights are still operating.”
It stated that its flight plan is operating normally, but the airline will “continue to monitor the situation closely.”
An Abta spokesperson said: “These changes will increase the cost of people’s holidays, which will undoubtedly affect consumer demand and hinder the recovery of the industry. Therefore, it is important to review this decision carefully. If it is clear that there are no restrictions, then Immediate removal of restrictions. Risks to the UK vaccination program. The government must now also consider providing tailor-made support for tourism companies that have been hit hardest during the pandemic.”
Spain announced on Saturday that people arriving from the UK would need to show proof of vaccination, which effectively ended the exemption from EU travel restrictions. Evidence of a negative test result and/or evidence of Covid infection of the arrival will no longer be sufficient.
this Official Announcement It seems to imply that there may be an exemption for children.It pointed out that the new policy covers “people who have a vaccination certificate recognized by the Ministry of Health, as well as accompanying minors under the expanded influence of the Ministry of Health. [of the decision]. “
At the same time, this is good news for many Irish families living in the UK who plan to return to Ireland for their first Christmas. At that time, the British Embassy in Dublin confirmed that people entering the UK from Ireland do not need to undergo PCR testing and isolation. , Northern Ireland, Isle of Man or Channel Islands.
If you have been outside the area in the past 10 days, the exemption for passengers from the public travel area will not apply.
