Part of The Midcounties Co-operative, Your Co-op Travel is predicting an increase in demand for last-minute sunshine getaways and autumn adventures as the choice of green list travel destinations expands and testing becomes more accessible via its offering for West Midlands-based customers and members, through a partnership with Your Co-op Pharmacy.
The Covid-19 tests are being offered to customers of the independent travel company’s 76 Your Co-op Travel and Carrick Travel high street travel agencies, including 19 in the West Midlands, from just £21. Holidaymakers who book online at cooptravel.co.uk, or via Your Co-op Travel’s call centre, will also have access to the tests at the discounted price.
The tests are supplied by government-approved, UKAS-accredited providers, Randox and C19 Testing, and can be ordered directly from the Your Co-op Pharmacy website. Co-op Travel customers can access the tests at a discounted price of £21 for an antigen test and £48 for a PCR, plus postage. Customers can buy individual tests or test-kit bundles that are tailored to the traffic light category of the destination they are visiting.
Its expert consultants can advise holidaymakers on where to book for the most hassle-free late getaway and guide them through any entry and testing requirements they will need to meet. The government announcement saw seven new destinations “go green” from 30 August, opening up further options for last minute city breaks and nature-focused holidays.
The new additions to the green list are Denmark, Finland, the Azores, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Canada (Canada will allow UK travellers from September 7). Since Thursday’s (26 August) travel list announcement, the three most searched for destinations on www.cooptravel.co.uk for last-minute getaways have been Malta, Croatia and Majorca. Holiday favourites such as mainland Spain, the Balearics, the Canaries, the Greek islands and Cyprus are also seeing an uplift in bookings and enquiries for travel in September and October 2021.
Sara Dunham, Chief Officer, Travel and Leisure for The Midcounties Co-operative, said: “We’re anticipating that the stabilising of the green and amber travel lists will inspire a rush of autumn bookings from holidaymakers who are desperate to get away. Customers are seeing that it is possible to enjoy a much-needed holiday this year and confidence is growing thanks to the various protections that trusted travel companies like Your Co-op Travel have in place. With the addition of our partnership with Your Co-op Pharmacy we continue to offer our customers the very best guidance, support and prices.
“Booking with a tour operator that offers flexibility, as the many and varied tour operators that we work with do, has never been more important. For added peace of mind, at Your Co-op Travel, we’re offering customers booking package holidays with our own tour operator, Co-op Holidays, low deposits, flexible payment options, free changes and cancellations and cash refunds within 10 days, as part of the Co-op Holidays Promise.
“Being able to offer affordable, reliable and convenient Covid-19 testing goes a long way to reassure our customers, who look to our expert travel agents to navigate them through the traffic light system and any entry and testing requirements they will need to meet.”
Your Co-op Travel has branches in Dudley, Walsall, Sedgley, Solihull, Wednesbury, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Aldridge, Chelmsley Wood, Erdington, Bilston, Kingswinford, Bloxwich, Sutton Coldfield, Brownhills and Finchfield, as well as a Carrick Travel shop in Chesleymore, which joined the Your Co-op family in October 2020 but continues to trade as Carrick Travel.
