Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Advantage chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said testing would be a boost to consumer confidence, particularly during what is normally the peak sales period.

“We have been calling on government since March to introduce testing because we feel it would enable people to travel confidently, safely, in the knowledge that testing is required, so it’s frustrating that 10 months later we had a very vague comment from our PM,” she said.

“It’s really, really important the government talks to us and liaises with us so that we can help customers.”

She said there was “definitely room to be optimistic”, adding agents were “doing everything they can to work with customers” so they could book “not for now, but when the time is right for travel, in the spring onwards”.

“It is a really peak time for people to think about their summer holidays and we’ve seen huge amounts of pent-up demand.”

She described 2020 as “devastating”.

 “We’ve had 10 months of absolute turmoil where if all you sell is travel and all you sell in the main is international travel, it becomes very difficult to diversify.

“It’s the changing rules that have devastated us and made it really difficult for us to work with government and try to please customers and reassure them when they are trying to book their holidays.”