Travel is currently a strange beast. Each destination has its own restrictions and regulations. Italy, for example, is proposing people wear masks even whilst outdoors where Sweden seems to be back to a level of normality.

Requirements can even vary from town to town and street to street. In the UK, where local lockdowns alter what is permitted from one week to the next it can be hard to know how to respond. In some areas, total closure has been the only option and this has been traumatic for many well-known brands. Premier Inn owner Whitbread only recently announced it was to cut 6,000 jobs as a result of a dip in demand.

Despite the emergence of a second wave of COVID, travel is still possible and the industry is continuing to open up overall- but it must do so in a way that recognises the altered landscape and work to accommodate not only regulatory concerns, but new customer needs.

Budget travel is in a particularly strong position to capitalise on a slowly emerging sector. They are expected to see growing traffic numbers as constantly fluctuating local lockdown measures look set to inspire more spontaneous but local trips. A quick weekend break has much less at stake than a two-week long-haul holiday that could mean a long quarantine after.

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