Government needs to be very clear what travel options are open to people who have had both doses of the vaccine, and how this enables them to avoid the need for quarantine on return from their trip. This is still vague and doesn’t need to be.

Alongside this, there needs to be work carried out globally to agree how those who have been vaccinated, or have proof of having tested negative for Covid, can travel more freely.

This isn’t complicated, and can be done on a region-by-region basis – or globally. Every country wants tourism as it contributes to GDP everywhere, so this should be a priority worldwide.

To decide now on a "health passport" and be clear on exactly what this is and how it will work should not be difficult.

Right now, there are so many mixed messages, so much confusion, and so little clarity that even people in the travel industry don’t know what is going to be possible and what the criteria are so we need to end this "lucky dip" approach.

Once these base criteria have been agreed, it should then be possible for people to begin travelling.

To help with this, travel corridors must be removed so people can plan and book ahead without wondering whether they could end up falling foul of Foreign Office advice nearer the time of their trip, or while they are away.

To do this, FCDO travel advice in relation to Covid needs to be removed, with those who have been vaccinated or have a valid test permitted to travel to areas deemed of concern.

The ever-changing FCDO advice is a massive challenge for tour operators, travel agents and consumers, and is one of the biggest causes of uncertainty about booking and travelling.

Removing the “advises against all but essential travel” element will make a big difference, especially with an effective testing regime in place.

Quarantine of five days with a test to release scheme could still be applied to specific destinations, if deemed necessary.

Trial and error

Government may want to travel to restart in a gradual fashion, so we could begin working first with the EU as a starting point for reciprocal arrangements and then gradually extend distances.

This could be based on their popularity with UK visitors, and inward traffic for inbound visitors, or how closely they match our criteria.

This would allow us to "get it right" through trial and error while also allowing some international travel. Laying this out clearly in terms of success criteria, next areas for inclusion, and so on, would make for a very clear road map.

The distinction between different types of travel also needs to be removed. Having a ban on cruise travel is unnecessary, and singles out one part of a much wider travel industry, especially given the safety protocols cruise lines have in place.

Once it is deemed okay to go to a particular country or destination, then it isn’t reasonable to single out a particular type of transport or accommodation. It’s like saying, “you can go to France, but can’t stay in a resort hotel or travel on the Metro".

The appointment of a minister dedicated to the travel industry, both inbound and outbound, would be welcome too.

But more generally, government needs to engage with representatives from across the travel industry – airlines, operators and travel agents – as well as representative bodies such as Abta, Clia, Iata, Aito and so on.

This will ensure that all groups are represented – and have the opportunity to be listened to.