This Morning fans accuse travel expert Simon Calder of encouraging 'non-essential' travel

13 August 2020, 17:47 | Updated: 14 August 2020, 10:23

This Morning viewers weren't happy with Simon's views on the show.

Travel expert Simon Calder has been accused of urging Brits to travel "non-essentially", say This Morning viewers.

Simon, 64, was on the show, presented by Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes who are in for Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and was advising viewers on where to travel if they wanted to go on holiday this year.

However, many viewers were furious on Twitter at Simon for encouraging viewers to go abroad for "non-essential" holidays - and also for telling people which countries to go to in order to miss the 14-day quarantine.

Simon told viewers: "Perhaps it's more responsible to be going to Italy and to be going to somewhere with a really low risk, then it is to be staying in the UK."

He also backed the Greek government's decision to open to tourists, saying: "Greece four weeks ago today took the decision, 'we've got to open up to tourism from the UK because frankly our economy depends on it'.

"One point I do agree with is the journey. That is the only part that there are concerns about."

Currently, Italy and Greece are exempt from the FCO's non-essential travel advice and there is no 14-day quarantine afterwards when visitors return to the UK.

This Morning viewers took to Twitter to air their thoughts on Simon's advice, with one saying: "I see Simon Calder is back to tell you to cram yourselves on planes and spread the virus far and wide so he keeps getting his good feelings from the travel industry #thismorning."

Another added: "The mixed messages are bad enough from MPs. Why are This Morning constantly inviting Simon Calder onto the show?

"He's making it worse by telling people to travel to Italy & Greece and which loopholes are best to avoid quarantine."