End of furlough leaves travel 'hanging in the balance'

Even those agents not reliant on furlough themselves are alarmed about the broader repercussions of the scheme ending. “It’s absolutely gutting,” says Rob Kenton, managing director of Triangle Travel.

“I have friends in the industry who are struggling, and we’ve lost some massive names on the high street. What frustrates me most is when you look at hospitality, they’ve been getting double the grants and they deserve it because they’ve had hard times, but we’ve had equally hard times, if not greater.

"When the pubs opened up again they had queues out the door, but they didn’t have to refund anything like we did.”

Phil Nuttall, managing director of the Travel Village Group, agrees, insisting that while his business is OK, the end of furlough will have serious consequences for a lot of the industry.

“It will devastate retail travel,” he says. “And it will change the landscape. Until we get into full recovery mode next year, it’s going to be very, very tricky – companies will have to adopt different opening hours and different strategies.”

There are other concerns too, such as the loss of talent the industry could face. Kristina Wallen, founder of recruitment firm Harp Wallen, says the recruitment market “is like no other I have experienced since setting up Harp Wallen in 1995”, with applications at an “all time low”.

She acknowledges furlough has been a “saviour” for many businesses, but admits it has “taken its toll on excellent working professionals”. “They want to be working full time in an industry they are passionate about and have dedicated large chunks of their lives and careers to,” she says.

“While they await their fate come the end of September, they are assessing whether they can stay in the industry they have contributed so much to,” Wallen adds. “They are looking for new roles because many cannot see how they will find positions in their previous workplaces if the continued chop and change to travel regulations continues and there is not some further sector-specific support.”

It’s a fear that Hunt shares. “My greatest worry is that we’re going to lose a huge amount of talent, experience and expertise from our industry,” he says sadly.

“That has a huge long-term effect – people come into travel agencies for their expertise, their advice and their knowledge of travel. That’s our main selling point versus online. If that’s not there – that personal knowledge and expertise – why would you come to a travel agent?

“It makes me so angry. It’s just another example of the government not understanding the travel industry,” Hunt sighs. “I’m worried the industry will never recover.”

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