Taking bookings for May 'clearly not commercially wise'

On the government’s support measures for businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector, which have been given a year’s relief from business rates, Jonathan Wall, co-founder and managing director of travel accountancy firm Elman Wall, said HMRC was currently working on a new portal to manage claims.

However, he said he would be “amazed” if it was up and running in time to start paying out in April, which the government’s current ambition.

He said the system was not like an ATM where you put your details in “and expect money to some straight out”, adding it was important to remember tens of thousands of businesses across the country were currently supplying information to make claims for the various financial support measures announced by government in recent weeks.

Wall added the travel industry was in a particularly difficult position with it being required by statute to address and provide, where clients are unwilling to accept a short-term credit note, refunds or other reparations under the Package Travel Regulations (PTRs) – which requires them to staff their business to handle these matters rather than furlough employees under the government’s job retention scheme at a time of zero revenue.

Janson added the Tourism Alliance was investigating whether processing payments and completing other non-profit generating administrative functions, as required by the PTRs, would constitute “statutory work” under the terms of the government’s furlough scheme. “It is certainly something we will be taking up with government,” he said.