TUI cancels beach holidays for UK customers until 10 July

LONDON, (REUTERS): Travel company TUI said its UK operation was cancelling beach holidays for British tourists until 10 July due to the COVID-19 pandemic, extending the cancellation date by 10 days as UK travel restrictions persist.

TUI had previously cancelled holidays up until the end of June.

Like many airlines and holiday companies, TUI had hoped that a summer recovery would start in July, but Britain’s new 14-day quarantine rules for international arrivals, brought in on 8 June, look set to deter people from travelling.

“With so much uncertainty around when travel will be able to recommence, customers due to travel before the end of August have the opportunity to amend their holiday for free,” TUI said in a statement on Thursday.

Britain has said work is continuing on “air bridges” between countries with low infection rates to allow quarantine-free travel, something which the industry says is vital to kick-start travel demand and avoid further job losses.