AN independent travel agency boss has warned that another “six months like this” would need the government to step in with financial aid to help save the industry.

Many companies have suffered during the year since the first lockdown came into force due to the Covid-19.

Many industries have been able to provide some kind of service.

But one of the businesses that has been unable to do so is the travel industry.

Eric Walton, 65, who owns Acomb Travel with his wife Sam, 51, in Front Street, York, has had to dig into his life savings to keep the business afloat.

“We are in a stronger position being an independent agent because we’re careful and watch the pennies,” said Eric. “But if we have to endure another six months like this, then we are going to have to get some more help from the government.

“We’ve had to put tens of thousands of pounds of our savings into the business to survive. The three girls we employ full-time are on furlough, which helps with the wages. But we still have to pay rent and for our communication services, and everything else that goes with running a business.”

Under the current plan for easing restrictions, the earliest date people in England could go abroad for a holiday would be May 17.

However, another surge in Covid cases in continental Europe, as well as the slow rollout of vaccines across Europe, has cast doubt on the resumption of foreign travel. And a £5,000 fine for anyone in England trying to travel abroad without good reason is due to come into force next week as part of new coronavirus laws.

“A lot of our market is overseas and people are desperate to get away,” added Eric. “Regardless of where, people are just looking to get some sunshine. A lot booked holidays for last year and couldn’t take them, so transferred them to this year, and now they’re in doubt. But it really is a nightmare at the moment.

“For the last 12 months, we’ve not made any money at all. It’s just been dreadful. We’ve been doing a few short breaks in this country when possible but nothing like the volume we’d normally expect. Someone has to go into the office every day to check for messages and emails and then there are the overheads to be taken care of,” said Eric.

“There’s been a little more interest in bookings over the last three or four weeks, but nothing like they were claiming, that bookings were going through the roof.

“We belong to a small group of Yorkshire agents, all belonging to a consortium, and we all talk every week. We discussed the so-called ‘booking frenzy’ but that hasn’t happened.

“The volume we need to sustain the business is just not there.”

Eric said that he didn’t hold much hope for the future after the recent spike of Covid infections across Europe.

He continued: “Sam and I have booked to go to Greece on June 9 but we have our doubts now. We were doing it really to show people we were confident to travel ourselves. We have a lot of followers on social media who keep in touch with what we are doing when we’re on holiday.

“The problem we have at the moment is another surge in Europe.

“There’s no way that our government are going to encourage us to go to those countries and risk bringing another variant back with them.

“Cyprus and even Greece are looking okay at the moment but, if a blanket ban is put on travel, people will not be able to go anywhere.”