There is certainly plenty to feel positive about as we ease our way out of the pandemic and life as we knew it is creeping back in. For the travel sector its baby steps for sure, but now quarantine has been removed for amber destinations, this has delivered a clear spike in demand for many travel agents and tour operators. In the main this is particularly good news. The sight of many cruise ships setting sail around the UK is also cause for optimism as the tills start ringing and much needed cash is hitting the banks of travel and travel related businesses.
Sadly, though not everything is rosy. What is clear is we are far from out of the woods yet and a long way form breathing a sigh of relief for our sector. Today I wanted to touch on the “F” word. Yep, you guessed it “Furlough”. As of today, about 2.4 million are still on furlough (down from a peak of 5.1m in January). Many of these are in the travel sector. In May the government reported that Leisure and Hospitality were in the highest rates of jobs being put on furlough; passenger air transport (57%), hotels and similar accommodation (57%), travel agency and tour operator activities (51%)
Last week the BBC reported “International travel, and other businesses which depend on it, are still seriously disrupted. Some furloughed workers in these areas may lose their jobs.”
This is clearly a huge worry for many. As the government funds ease back, we have seen signs already this week with more sign ups to Flexi Reps. Also, the dreaded green circles on LinkedIn are popping up on well know industry colleagues. We of course always need talent for the variety of projects we have coming up but it’s heart-breaking to see more joining us in the hope of a short-term project to keep them busy until the next role comes along.
We understand that without everything opening its difficult to keep people on the books, but travel agents need to know what you are up to, field sales teams are so important to build momentum so please, please, please try and hang on to them. We do not want to see more of those dreaded green rings as furlough ends.
Have a great weekend.
