Fully jabbed Britons may not have to quarantine when they return home from amber destinations this summer, according to reports.
Ministers are working on plans to allow quarantine-free holidays this summer.
Meanwhile, Malta and the Balearic islands of Spain are slated for the green list, which is due to be updated tomorrow.
There are currently 11 countries on the green list, most inaccessible to British tourists.
It comes as the travel industry lobbies the government in a Travel Day of Action, putting pressure on the government to support the beleaguered travel industry.
Follow the latest updates below:
Coronavirus pandemic has ‘decimated’ Northern Ireland’s tourism industry
The coronavirus pandemic has 2decimated” Northern Ireland’s tourism industry, a Stormont official has said.
The sector went from a record-breaking year in 2019 with 5.3 million visitors, spending an estimated £1bn to a 77 per cent drop in hotel rooms sold and 73 per cent drop in air passengers going through local airports.
Geraldine Fee, director of tourism in the Department for the Economy, said 2019 had been the culmination of a “decade of investment”.
“Things were looking great until the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020 and this had an immediate, massive and unprecedented impact on the sector,” she told the Stormont Economy committee.
“The pandemic effectively decimated the industry overnight.”
The department has launched an economic recovery action plan which includes £32m of funding to support tourism.
A tourism recovery steering group has also been established.
Additional reporting by agencies
Helen Coffey23 June 2021 14:39
Government remains ‘confident’ despite UK being taken off other countries’ green lists
Asked whether the government was concerned that the UK was being taken off the equivalent of the travel “green list” in other countries due to a rise in coronavirus cases, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “Well, that is a decision fundamentally for individual countries and governments to take.
“We’re working hard to use our vaccination programme and other methods to get this more transmissible variant under control. And with the high levels of vaccination that we’re seeing, we’re confident we can do that, allowing us to move to step four.”
Helen Coffey23 June 2021 14:26
Italy encourages tourists from US, Canada and Japan to visit after imposing quarantine on UK
Italy is encouraging tourists from the US, Canada and Japan to return just days after it announced British travellers would face a five-day quarantine.
Italian prime minister Mario Draghi made a speech today saying that holidaymakers from the three countries would be welcomed back with open arms.
“We want to allow them to come safely into Italy to help our hoteliers and restaurateurs bounce back after a year-and-a-half of difficulty,” Draghi said.
Tourists must be fully vaccinated, have proof that they have recovered from the virus within a set timeframe or provide a negative Covid-19 result from a test taken within 48 hours before entering Italy.
On Friday the Italian Health Minister, Roberto Speranza, announced that British holidaymakers would be subject to quarantine amid rising rates of coronavirus in the UK.
Travellers entering the country from the UK must self-isolate for five days upon arrival.
Helen Coffey23 June 2021 14:17
Immunologist calls calls travel rules ‘overly restrictive’
An immunologist and head of a testing firm has called for the government to “streamline” its current traffic light system, claiming the restrictions are making international travel “impossible for millions of people”.
Immunologist and CMO of Cignpost ExpressTest of Denis Kinane said:
As one of the largest travel testing firms, we strongly support the Action Day to get travel and tourism restarting again. We believe there are changes the government could make to streamline the current traffic light system that could enable many more people to travel this summer.
While it’s understandable that countries on the red list require special measures, the regulations for amber list travellers are overly restrictive. The need for up to four Covid-19 tests and having to quarantine for 10 days is making travelling impossible for millions of people and ultimately preventing the sector reopening.
If those travelling back to the UK were required to use a pre-departure PCR test, rather than the less accurate lateral flow devices, not only would the number of positive cases decline, it would also reduce the risk of travellers bringing new variants into the UK, this in turn allowing restrictions to relax further. It could also eliminate the need for a second PCR test on day 8 and, critically, the need to quarantine beyond day 3.
Such a change could also encourage the Government to move more countries from red to amber or amber to green with all the benefits that would bring. This would reduce the financial impact of the amber list regime, encourage more people to travel and ultimately put the sector on the road to recovery.
Helen Coffey23 June 2021 13:53
Swap Portugal for… Scotland
While Portugal remains on the amber list (and will likely remain so in the latest travel update this week), how about a trip to… Scotland?
Writer Robin McKelvie insists the two countries are “wistful blood brothers”.
Read how to capture the Iberian experience in Scotland here.
Cathy Adams23 June 2021 13:32
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Cathy Adams23 June 2021 13:06
Airlines join legal action
More airlines on Wednesday joined legal action against the Britain over its travel curbs, adding to pressure on the government to relax restrictions that are putting businesses and jobs on the line.
EasyJet and tour group TUI said they had joined the action led by Manchester Airports Group (MAG) aimed at challenging the government for an alleged lack of transparency over travel rules.
The two airlines join the country’s other biggest travel firms Ryanair, British Airways-owner IAG and Virgin Atlantic as interested parties in the case.
A spokesman for MAG, the claimant in the case, said the court had accepted its application for an expedited hearing and the government, specifically the transport minister and the health minister, had until Monday to file a defence.
“We cannot comment on legal proceedings,” said a government spokesperson.
A date for a hearing is likely to be set either later next week or for the following the week, added the spokesperson.
The travel industry remains effectively closed as rules require 10 days quarantine for arrivals from all European Union countries and the United States. Government advice also warns against travelling to most countries.
British pilots, cabin crew, travel agents and other workers are urging politicians to reopen foreign routes with protests and demonstrations across the country on Wednesday.
The government said in an emailed response its travel rules sought to balance the reopening of international travel with safeguarding public health and protecting the country’s vaccine programme.
No quarantine for double jabbed tourists this summer?
Government ministers have confirmed they are “working on” plans to facilitate holidays in “amber list” countries.
The move would see the mandatory 10-day quarantine for travellers upon their return to the UK scrapped in favour of testing – but only for those who are fully vaccinated.
He claimed he is “in favour of moving forward in this area”, and swapping the current quarantine restrictions for some sort of daily testing instead.
Read the full report here.
Cathy Adams23 June 2021 12:49
What the loosening of restrictions for vaccinated travellers could mean for your holiday
The move, confirmed by the health secretary, would mean tourists and business travellers could visit amber destinations without having to self-isolate for 10 days on their return to the UK.
Matt Hancock said he is “in favour of moving forward in this area” and replacing quarantine with daily testing.
“This hasn’t been clinically advised yet – we’re working on it,” he told Sky News.
What could this relaxation of restrictions mean for you summer holiday?
Here’s everything you need to know.
Helen Coffey23 June 2021 12:19
More Brits feel safe to travel in next six months, says new poll
There has been a six-fold increase in the number of British travellers who would feel “safe” going on a beach holiday in the next six months, compared to how they felt last October.
Research from AllClear Travel Insurance found that 30 per cent of more than 2,000 British respondents would feel safe travelling, up from 5 per cent last autumn.
The insurer also found that southern Europe emerged as the top destination that British travellers would feel safest in within the next six months, despite the fact that almost all of Europe is graded “amber” by the UK government and requires 10 days of self-isolation.
Cathy Adams23 June 2021 12:11
