Another blow for the travel industry as TUI cancels Lapland holidays
Due to new travel restrictions coming into place in Europe, online travel agency TUI has decided to cancel trips booked to Finland in November and December for UK and Irish customers
Tui explained that due to the new travel regulations due to come into effect in Finland, which is now classified as ‘orange’ in the European Union’s new traffic light system, travel from the UK, which the EU now classes as ‘red’, and Ireland will be difficult. Most non-resident foreign nationals are currently prohibited from entering Finland, and those that are must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival to Finland.
British news agency The Independent notes that most Lapland trips from the UK tend to last only a day, which usually cost around £500 a person. A 14-day quarantine period would render most of these trips completely unfeasible.
However, the Finnish government recently announced that leisure travel from the UK will be allowed from 23 November by visitors who have proof of a recent negative Covid-19 test, and that no quarantine period will be required for trips of up to 72 hours.
Still, with the EU’s traffic light system subject to change, as well as the ‘continued uncertainly around travel’ that TUI references, there seems too much of a barrier to travel for these upcoming trips.
Removing uncertainty
“With the rapidly evolving travel environment and a Covid test soon to be mandatory for Finland, TUI UK and Ireland has decided that, on this occasion, it would not be able to deliver on this promise [of holidays to the country] and wanted to remove uncertainty for families,” said TUI. The company added that all customers impacted by TUI’s decision are being offered the choice of a full refund, a refund credit note with a ‘generous incentive’ or the opportunity to amend for next year.
However, at a similar time last year, many trips to the same destination were cancelled due to unseasonably warm temperatures causing a lack of snow in Lapland, so a certain level of uncertainty may have remained regardless of Covid.
Perhaps Finland may look to strike up a public-private partnership to prevent further tourism losses this year. It certainly seems to be an increasingly popular concept for other destinations such as the Bahamas, which recently partnered with CG Atlantic Medical & Life to provide visitors with travel insurance.