An independent travel agent from Haxby has joined hundreds of colleagues in London to protest at the restrictions on the trade and lack of Government support.
David Carruthers of Conexo Travel says they are all starved of cash and getting into debt.
He wants to trade his way out of the problems but he says the Government appears to want to contain people in the UK and domestic holiday options are often fully booked up.
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Speaking in an interview for David Dunning’s YorkMix Late Show (Wednesday 12am to 1am) he said that although he can open his doors as a travel agency he hasn’t earned any income for 15 months.
“For us in the travel industry and as a travel agency, it’s just been absolutely abysmal. We’re on our knees.
“We still have to pay all the bills and my job now is essentially book, cancel, refund, and then repeat because of all the changes to the rules. We get minimal support grants too.
“If we as an industry go without another summer, which is our equivalent of Christmas for a shop, then many businesses will go bust.”
Hundreds of people employed in the travel industry joined the day of action organised by industry body Abta outside Parliament in Westminster, Holyrood in Edinburgh and Stormont, in Belfast.
Demonstrators, many wearing uniform, took over College Green in central London carrying placards reading “speak up for travel” and “allow safe travel overseas”.
And they demanded transparency over why the Government has failed to put countries with low rates of Covid-19 on the foreign travel green list despite those countries apparently meeting the criteria for doing so.
“We need some sector-specific support. Even down to things like the Restart grants – nail parlours, tattoo shops, barbers, they get three times the support grants that we get.
“We get the minimal support grants – and we’re the only ones not earning.”