ITT Chair criticises UK travel restrictions

UK staycation

Chair of the UK Institute for Travel and Tourism (ITT) Steven Freudmann criticises the UK government’s traffic light system and its lack of understanding and support for the travel industry

During his opening remarks at this year’s ITT Conference on 12 September, Freudmann said PCR testing was a ‘pointless exercise’, quoting data from the UK Office for National Statistics which claimed a quarter of those instructed to do so did not quarantine upon returning to the UK.

"I could complain about the complexity of the rules," he added. "I could complain that the amber category is a complete waste of time and I could complain that with one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world, the UK should be leading the world in opening up to foreign travel, instead of squandering our advantage...but I won’t."

Staycations rising in UK

To make this year’s conference more ‘positive’, Freudmann spoke about the rise of staycations in the UK. However, quoting a study carried out by consumer group Which?, Freudmann also pointed out that as a result, accommodation prices in the UK had risen by 41 per cent during the pandemic.

"The biggest irony of all, however, is that the UK currently has 53 Covid cases per 100,000, against only 11 per 100,000 for the EU as a whole," he added. "In other words, it’s actually safer to go to Spain, France or Italy than it is to go to Cornwall or North Wales.”