When the pandemic first began in the spring of 2020, school trip providers were willing to take a more lenient approach to cancel or postpone trips, with many believing that the impact of the pandemic would be short-lived. However, as the pandemic has continued, trip providers have adopted a more resolute and unsympathetic approach in order to avoid financial collapse.
It has been widely reported in the media that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the travel industry, with business closures and large-scale redundancies. As such, trip providers are making difficult and often controversial decisions to safeguard their businesses.
Furthermore, it is probable that trip provider insolvency would make it even more difficult for schools to obtain refunds of deposits, as schools would likely join a long line of unsecured creditors.