Do we need to accept that there will be not holidaying abroad this summer?

Gary Brown, founder of Debt Register, asks if there is there any logic, in allowing the UK population to begin travelling abroad again any time soon?

“With an economy that needs rebuilding, where is the logic in allowing our money to be spent elsewhere”, says Gary, who has worked in the commercial debt industry for 18 years and has seen overdue debts increase to an all-time high over the pandemic.

“At a time where businesses are struggling to stay afloat, I cannot see why we would open up borders, rather than encourage money to be spent locally, which would allow us to support the economic repair of the pandemic.”

When we look at the cost COVID has had on our country, he has a point: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) - which keeps tabs on government spending - said that borrowing would be ￡355bn for the current financial year (April 2020 to April 2021), before falling back to ￡234bn over the next year. That's the highest figure ever seen outside wartime.*

With overdue debts having increased, more than 97,966 businesses have permanently shut down during pandemic.**

Add to this the chances of a new variant being introduced to the UK when travel commences and the impact that could have on our businesses if we have to lockdown again, there seems to be a strong case for forgoing a holiday abroad this summer and opting for a staycation.

We asked several industry leaders what their views were...

"Everyone should have a freedom of choice to leave the country for any reason, whether it is for a holiday or not, if the restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so. Hopefully people would have recognised that during the pandemic, there is a real need to support our local businesses to help them survive through these difficult and challenging times. We should not try and mandate or control where and when people leave the country; there are more positive and sustainable ways to encourage society to support our economy." - Alicia Ariffin, Head of People and Culture, SteelEye

"Staying in the UK is the most responsible and right thing to do. We must support our home grown businesses and enable our economy to recover faster post covid. Besides, there’s a great deal fewer costs involved in a UK holiday break. No transfers, mobile roaming charges, flights or visas" - Iba Jaggi, Fintech Recruitment, Trevose Partners 

"I think the question is not whether we should be allowed to travel abroad but whether families and individuals can safely protect themselves and others in doing so.

For example, what is the set up getting from A to B and what precautions are in place to reduce risk of catching this illness. It's not just about what the countries travel policies are, but the mode of travel and what the actual companies that you are working with to travel are doing. 

What are these companies and businesses doing to ensure limited risk?

I know that my family and I would love to travel abroad this year, but realistically for us the places we would love to go such as New Zealand and Australia, we as UK residents would not be permitted to enter as their covid travel restrictions are so tight. So it may be a staycation for us. But why not there are lots of things to do with the UK – again the risk could be just as high as those if we wish to travel abroad" - Marie-Claire Frederick, Director, Lemon Quarters

Let us know what your views are in the comments below....