WITH the UK regaining confidence in booking holidays to popular destinations after two years of disruption because of Covid, people are being urged to use their local, independent travel agent to help the industry recover.
The UK Government has today (Friday, March 18) removed the remaining coronavirus restrictions on international travel after a turbulent couple of years, allowing UK holidaymakers to make booking hassle free holidays much easier.
Since March 2020, travel bans have been placed across the world to prevent the spread of Covid-19 but the UK’s restrictions have now ended as economies try to recover from a loss of income caused by subsequent lockdows.
Destination rules will continue to apply, however, and the importance of booking through a ‘human’ travel agent for peace of mind has never been as high, according to Claire Milby, a Director at independent travel agent Travel the Globe, which has bases in Barrow-in-Furness and Ulverston in Cumbria.
Claire is urging holidaymakers to book through their local, trusted agent to help companies recover great losses experienced throughout the pandemic.
She said: “There’s no avoiding the fact that the travel industry has taken a huge hit throughout the Covid pandemic, and travel-related companies have had to work harder than most to stay afloat.
“Now that Covid restrictions have been lifted, we need your support more than ever. When you book your holiday using your local, independent travel agent, you are supporting your town or village as we all live and work in the same area and spend our money at local businesses.
“If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that people have really missed the human, personal interaction and that is why a lot of people prefer to use travel agents rather than booking online. We are available to be contacted six days a week, and we’re always there for your every need.
“A big reason why people choose to book with an agent is for the peace of mind to know that we’ve got their backs all the way and will sort anything to ensure their holiday is stress free, and if anything should go wrong then we would be on hand to step in on their behalf.
“We have years and years of experience in the travel industry and know it inside out, so we can provide expert advice and guide you along the way to your dream holiday.
“Our dedicated after sales team will also equip customers with a travel wallet and complete all the paperwork on their behalf; printing out all tickets, boarding passes, travel documentation and completing your online check in to take that added stress away from our customers.”
Travel the Globe Barrow was established in 2013 and opened its Ulverston office in December 2019, just months before the outbreak of Covid-19.
The team was stationed by their telephones at home seven days a week throughout the pandemic to assist and guide holidaymakers to rearrange trips when their original plans were cancelled and to provide refunds, to the huge relief of its customers.
With many people still uncertain about travel rules, more people are returning to traditional travel agents for expert advice.
Claire said: “A lady came into our Ulverston office recently and told us it was the first time in decades she had been into a travel agents. By the time she left, she told us she had such a lovely time and she was glad to have booked through us rather than going online, and that was so heartwarming to hear.
“With Travel the Globe, you can come in, have a cup of tea or coffee and really explore what kind of holiday you want to book and our staff are on hand to pass on the experiences they have gained in the industry over many years.
“We know that going on holiday is such a big occasion for people especially after missing out for the past two years, and we can take all the stress and hassle away to allow people to enjoy a well-deserved, relaxing holiday.
“People are always amazed at how competitive our prices are in comparison to booking online, and we pride ourselves on getting the best deal possible for our customers.”
In addition to the bases in Barrow and Ulverston, Travel the Globe also has a base in Frodsham, Cheshire.
The team at Travel The Globe can be contacted via www.traveltheglobe.co.uk or by phone: Ulverston – (01229) 584472; Barrow – (01229) 839502; Frodsham – (07423) 753433.
