More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
It is currently illegal to travel abroad for a holiday due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Boris Johnson has ordered everyone to stay home to prevent further spread of the virus, which has now claimed more than 100,000 lives in the UK, and over 2million worldwide.
In addition travel to the UK is now banned from 33 countries, and people arriving have to self isolate with their households for 10 days.
So what happens when your job or business relies on people booking trips away?
The travel industry has taken a huge hit in the last 12 months, with many members of staff still on furlough.
We spoke to some of the people who work in travel in Kent, to see how they're adapting and how they feel about the future.
Bianca Whalley, from Folkestone, has 20 plus years experience in the industry and currently works as an independent travel counsellor from home.
But she has taken a second job - answering Covid 119 calls - since the start of the outbreak to top up her income.
Miss Whalley is hopeful about the future as she says there is a 'pent up demand' for holidays.
She said: "Obviously ongoing travel restrictions have impacted the company and my business individually, but throughout this time I’ve kept focussed on my customers, particularly in the early days of the first lockdown when we were working through a large volume of cancellations, re-bookings and refunds.
"Naturally customers have a myriad of questions about travel, and I’ve taken the role as their travel expert extremely seriously, ensuring I’m up-to-date on the latest Government announcements and FCDO advice, as we all try to navigate through this time together.
"I’ve received a lot of support from both customers and my fellow colleagues in terms of keeping our spirits up, ready for the time when restrictions ease and we can bounce-back and meet the pent-up demand for travel again.
"I’m looking forward to a brighter future and growing my business from strength to strength again when the time is right.
"Many of my customers are telling me that they are craving something to look forward to, and the chance to spend quality time with extended family and friends again."
Miss Whalley says people are still booking holidays, including for this year and next.
She added: "I’m seeing bookings for summer 2021 onwards and for 2022.
"I’m offering flexible booking terms wherever possible, and complete financial protection to ensure that all customer monies are kept safe, particularly in the event of a supplier failure."
Kent could see summer staycation boom
A trend some companies are seeing is more people looking at booking 'staycations'.
Hythe's Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve, which has a wide choice of accommodation, is currently offering 20% off short stays for 2021.
Miss Whalley added: "The UK is proving popular this year indicating that we may once again see staycations on the rise, particularly in the school holidays.
"There’s a risk that availability will be tight so I’m advising my customers to book sooner rather than later."
Dierdre Wells, from Visit Kent, said Kent has a lot to offer people when tourism picks back up.
But she said that people's confidence when it comes to travelling could possibly hold them back from booking a trip.
She said: "One thing that is quite striking at the moment is a significant drop in consumer confidence.
"When asked if people are going to be taking a trip in the UK this year only 14% said they'd do it in April.
"It rises to about 30% in June and then 54% from July. People are very nervous even about travelling in the UK."
Holiday Extras, based near Hythe, specialises in providing travel extras such as airport hotels, parking and travel insurance.
It cut more than 200 jobs last year and has also restructured staff.
Group CEO Matthew Pack says the company has also found that people have been looking to stay closer to home when it comes to holidays.
He said when restrictions were temporarily lifted last year "demand outstripped supply".
"We are expecting the same trend this year and hope to see more of the UK breaks market - especially indoor attractions and theatres - open back up as the vaccines are rolled out," he added.
Mr Pack said despite the UK being in lockdown, customers are still making bookings: "Most of our bookings are still for this year.
"Demand is there and customers expect to travel from May and beyond. We are however seeing a higher share for 2022 than we’d normally see even if the volumes are low."
Currently, 50% of Holiday Extra staff are on furlough and the rest are working remotely.
Mr Pack said: "The cycle of lockdowns has been tough on everyone.
"At the height of the summer, with Spain and most of Europe open, we consistently saw at least 50% of 2019’s booking volume as people dashed to get away for their week or two in the sun.
"Since then, tiers and the third lockdown have obviously meant a much quieter start to 2021, but we’re seeing strong demand for travel as soon as things open back up."
Mr Pack said demand for travel as reported by the airlines is down 90%.
He added: "Despite pent up demand, bookings so far this year are the lowest they’ve been since the start of the crisis.
"80% of UK holidaymakers consistently tell us in our monthly survey that they’re planning to travel once it’s possible, and that they’re waiting either for the end of lockdown, to receive the vaccine or for the summer.
"Our Kent call centre is operating remotely but is open every day and taking bookings.
"We know what’s important to holidaymakers right now is flexibility, security and assistance, so we’ve added more insurance options, faster service and more flexibility than ever.
"We’re also expanding our product offering and giving customers increased confidence to book with regular articles and updates on safe travel."
And Mr Pack says he is not worried about the future.
He added: "We really need to see how the next 12 months go.
"We’ve made the changes we need to weather this downturn and very slow recovery, including a restructure, and while they were painful changes to make we’re happy the business is secure.
"We’re spending our time getting ready to help our customers enjoy hassle-free trips as soon as travel spins back up.
"It’s vital that the government continues to offer full support to our industry for as long as it keeps the planes grounded, but so long as the government’s support continues to match up to the restrictions imposed on travel, our business and our whole industry will come out of this crisis in good shape."
