Business travel groups urge government to prioritise international visitor exemption from quarantine
Business travel firms have cheered today’s loosening of travel restrictions, but warned that the government needs to apply the same rules to international visitors if the sector is to fully recover.
Earlier today transport secretary Grant Shapps announced that fully vaccinated Brits would no longer have to quarantine on return from “amber list” countries.
The move opens up the prospect of holidays for Brits in more than 140 countries, including popular destinations across Europe.
Shapps indicated that the same rules would be applied to international travellers later in the summer.
“We want to welcome international visitors back to the UK and are working to extend our approach to vaccinated passengers from important markets such as the US and EU later this summer”, he told MPs.
“I’ll update the house in due course on how we approach vaccinated individuals from other countries.”
Business travel groups said that it was vital for the step to be treated as a priority by ministers in order to speed the recovery of the UK economy.
Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association (BTA), said: “The BTA welcomes today’s announcement from the Department for Transport. This is a vital kickstart for British businesses.
“We urge the Government to prioritise international protocols for overseas business travellers so we can completely take our place on the global trading stage.”
Andrew Crawley, American Express Global Business Travel’s Chief Commercial Officer, said that the exclusion of foreign travellers was “disappointing”.
“Any quarantine requirement will hinder a return to travel and trade”, he said. “We urge the Government to embrace the emerging global protocol of exempting all fully vaccinated travellers from quarantine requirements.”
Richard Burge, chief executive of trade body the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the capital’s economic recovery depended on the return of international visitors.
“It’s vital that the government and the aviation sector now swiftly work together to install systems that allow for the safe return of inbound international tourism and business travel.”
Others, including Heathrow Airport chief executive John Holland-Kaye, said that until such travellers were allowed it, the job “wasn’t done”.
“To really kickstart the UK’s economic recovery, global Britain needs to get trading again. US business can get to the EU, but the UK remains cut off.
“The UK should open up travel to fully vaccinated people from more countries – particularly our key partners in the US – by the end of July. If the EU can do it, so can the UK”, he finished.