Foreign holidays still not an option for many, despite restriction ease

Bookings for foreign holidays are still down even though restrictions have been partly lifted in many countries.

Just one in six people has booked a foreign trip in the last six months, according to market research group GFK. Nine in 10 people say coronavirus has influenced their holiday plans and almost four in 10 say they won’t be booking a holiday abroad this year.

The GFK research also showed 84% of tourists will definitely avoid a destination if it includes a quarantine period and 68% won’t go if major attractions are shut. But a negative test or vaccination requirement would only stop 30% of those surveyed opting for a holiday abroad.

The mish-mash of regulations in different countries mean consumers are faced with ‘an information jungle’, Frank Oostdam, chairman of travel industry body ANVR, told the Volkskrant on Friday.

‘The conditions for travel in different countries are making people reluctant to book,’ TUI spokeswoman Petra Kok said.

And the coronavirus measures in operation are also an issue, Simone van den Berk, spokeswoman for Corendon said. ‘People are waiting, because they don’t want hassle while they are on holiday,’ she said.

Long-haul destinations outside the EU are less popular because of tougher rules to enter these countries. In Thailand, for example, travellers must spent 14 days in quarantine whether or not they have been vaccinated.