Call for clarity on resumption of international travel

Wednesday, 9 June 2021 08:16

The Irish Travel Agents Association says the industry needs urgent clarity over the resumption of international travel.

People will be allowed to freely travel outside the country from July 19th, however the assocation says the government needs to confirm whether they will be implementing EU travel guidelines such as the new Covid-19 health certificate.

The ITAA says Ireland and the rest of Europe should drop the requirement of a negative Covid test and quarantine for fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from the virus.

Speaking to RedFM News, Cork based travel agent and CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association Pat Dawson says the industry needs as much notice as possible:.

"There has to be a lead in time, it's not like pressing a button and away we go.

"There has to be planning at airports, airlines have to get their aircraft back, they have to get their staff back, there's a retraining period, I'm sure there's a lot of digital work to be done.

"We need to know for certain that from the 19 of July there's no hiccup, and people can go and airlines can fly."