A tourism industry expert has predicted that the majority of tourism professionals and tourism companies will begin offering free Covid trials to tourists.
Paul Charles, chief executive officer of tourism consultants PC Agency, has expressed his views as tourism company On the Beach has announced that it will begin offering free Covid tests in the industry first.
The tour operator said he decided to offer antigen and PCR tests for free after a study showed that the price of the tests prevented people from traveling. The firm has partnered with state-sponsored testing provider Collinson to offer free Covid tests - for those living in England and Northern Ireland only - from 2021, during October half-time.
Charles said many others in the industry could follow suit. "It is very encouraging for the Coast to take this step," he said. “I know there are many top quality suppliers who have been providing this, but this is the first major marketer to do this and it will give others the confidence to do the same. This is definitely a start and we will definitely see others do the same. ”
In May, On the Beach announced that it would not be selling summer holidays from June to August due to uncertainty about travel. However, it recently opened package bookings and offers free Covid-19 testing of any new bookings in Spain and Greece as long as bookings are made before 30 September from 2021.
Customer tests will be automatically ordered at the reservation and delivered at least 48 hours before departure, taking one antigen test on holiday before returning to the UK and one PCR test to be performed, or before, the second day after arrival in the UK.
The holiday company says it has set up a £ 1.5m fund dedicated to helping build consumer confidence on the go, which will be used to fund free trials, after a study found that nearly one in three said the main reason why they didn't book a 2021 holiday was expensive.
A quarter of people who do not plan for the holidays this year said they would be very upset if they were not given free Covid tests.
The spokesman said: “These tests are known to be on the cheap side, but if you book a 2021 flight package for Spain, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Greece or Cyprus before the end of September, we will get your tests for free. ”
This comes at a time when the government is considering whether to cancel the existing robots program, and insiders say the changes could be announced in the coming weeks. The green fields and frame can be removed with the approval of the rules based on the status of the Covid vaccine for travelers - in an effort to make the holidays easier
The red zone, which belongs to countries that the government can visit, is expected to remain.