Mytholmroyd travel agent says scrapping of final Covid travel measures in UK is "step in the right direction"

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Monday that the changes, which include the end of passenger locator forms and the requirement for unvaccinated people to be tested for Covid-19 before entering the UK, will “mean greater freedom in time for Easter”.

Roger Benn, owner of Benchmark Travel in Mytholmroyd, said: "People are already getting the confidence to travel again, which has shown in the increase in bookings we've had over the last few weeks.

"This will be another step in the right direction to make people feel more confident in going abroad, in that it's less paperwork to do.

"However, many of the countries people want to travel to still have their own restrictions in place, so forms still have to be filled in depending on where people want to go, so it's not completely paperwork free yet but we're hoping that will follow the same course soon."

Roger said demand is returning to normal for holidays abroad after the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It's nearly the same levels as it was pre-pandemic, and the good thing is people are wanting to use travel agents," he said.

"The reason they want to do that is because those who booked independently are in some cases still waiting for payments from companies because of the pandemic and all the problems.

"People want the reassurance of a travel agent because they know we'll be there to help them and pursue any problems they might have.

"So a lot of people, having been bitten trying to do it themselves, now are quite appreciative and happy to use travel agents, which is fantastic."