The industry body said the current situation facing double-jabbed travellers was “hugely expensive and unnecessary” and “deterring” the British public from going overseas.
Calls from the WTTC follow reports health secretary Sajid Javid has requested the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate “excessive” pricing of PCR tests and “exploitative practices” by test providers.
Pressure continues to grow on the government to crackdown on the high price of Covid tests required for international travel – with testing in the UK among the most costly in Europe.
The average price for a PCR test is around £75 – with some firms offering results within 90 minutes for up to £400, the WTTC said.
Under the WTTC’s plans, returning UK visitors would only need an “affordable” antigen test, with additional PCR tests reserved for those who tested positive.
Unvaccinated visitors would continue to take a test on departure, as well as a PCR test on day two of their return.
“This would remove the huge financial burden, which is depressing demand for travel, effectively halting the revival of international travel,” said the WTTC.
“Genomic sequencing data from PCR tests is harvested by the government to rapidly identify variants of concern, understand transmission and slow the spread, however WTTC challenges why consumers should have to pay for this.”
According to a WTTC carried out by YouGov this summer, almost half of British adults (47%) viewed the financial costs of tests as a main barrier to international travel.
The research also found worries over the cost of tests were placed ahead of personal health concerns, which came in at 34%.
Meanwhile, more than half (53%) of British adults said the cost of PCR testing would make a significant impact on their budget if they were to travel abroad this year.
WTTC senior vice-president and acting chief executive, Virginia Messina, said for many families and small businesses “the crippling added cost of the unnecessary PCR tests makes the difference between being able to travel or not.”
“It’s clear that many British adults simply can’t afford to travel overseas at all if they have to pay the excessive cost of PCR tests.
“More affordable antigen tests, with PCR tests for those who do test positive, will help keep travellers safe and make taking a trip overseas within the budget of most people.
“But if the government wants extra information for genomic sequencing – they should pay for it. If they don’t pay, then consumers will vote with their feet and avoid international travel altogether, further damaging the already struggling UK travel and tourism sector.”
