Thursday 24 June 2021

Responding to the government updating the current international travel rules, Richard Burge, Chief Executive of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said:

“Whilst the aviation and travel sectors will welcome the government intention to open up the amber list with no self-isolation requirement for those fully vaccinated later this summer, the statement from the Transport Secretary makes it clear this will be phased, starting with UK residents. Clearly we will have to await further details next month, but I think businesses in London that rely upon inbound international tourism or business travel will be nervous about just how late in the summer the government means.

“Whilst it’s of course vital that the UK has a border policy in place that protects from covid spread and avoids us going the wrong way down the roadmap, we also need a system in place that allows for economic recovery from this pandemic. Business travel is a key part of that, and it’s surprising at this stage of the pandemic that it’s still limited to such a few exemptions, such as the likes of elite sportspeople and perhaps UEFA delegates.

"I think some businesses will be concerned that we run the risk of losing the competitive trading advantage that the pace of our vaccination rollout should present us with.”