'A real shot in the arm' - trade hails easing of travel rules

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said the association welcomed the announcement and was now "awaiting confirmation of the date this will be implemented". "We urge the government to do all it can to have this in place before October half-term."

Tanzer also called for more transparency in deciding the red list. "Although we recognise the need to retain a red list, the government needs to be much more transparent in its criteria for placing countries on it and it should only be retained for the management of known variants of concern.

“Today’s announcement is a good step in the right direction, but it will not in itself be enough to undo two years of damage to the overseas travel industry, caused as a direct result of government policies. Targeted financial support for travel agents and tour operators is the only way to make good this damage and stem further job losses following on from the nearly 100,000 jobs which have already been lost in the outbound travel sector.

“As these new measures apply to England, we urge the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to update their international travel policies as soon as possible.”

Andrew Flintham, managing director of Tui UK said he believed the changes would provide “much-needed reassurance for customers looking to book ahead, especially as it removes some of the layers of complexity and expense UK holidaymakers have faced this summer.”

“We’ve already seen an uptick in bookings for Turkey in October and a big increase in bookings for those looking to enjoy some winter sun. As a result of these changes we expect to see customer confidence improve... That said, we still believe the red list could be reduced further given no variants of concern have been identified and it remains significantly more restrictive than other countries in Europe," he added.

Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic said the "overdue simplification of the government’s rules for international travel" would deliver "a significant boost to consumer confidence and UK economic recovery".

But Weiss added: “However, to ensure that Britain’s global ambitions are met, the vaccination status of those travellers receiving a full dose in countries like India and Hong Kong must be recognised, ensuring they are able to take advantage of the simplified travel rules. Additionally, the Red list should focus purely on Variants of Concern, in order to protect public health, therefore it’s imperative to rapidly and continuously remove countries that don’t pose a threat, in order to open travel back up to countries like South Africa."

Weiss also urged the government to work with the US to remove transatlantic restrictions for UK citizens. "The US already allows entry for travellers from Dubai, Turkey and much of South America. With the high rate of vaccination in the UK - 81% of UK adults have received both jabs - there is no reason to deny UK citizens from entering the US safely, and no reason to delay.”

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, agreed. He said ministers had “paved the way for people to get away this October half-term and into the winter following 18 months of uncertainty.”

“It will provide a real shot in the arm for a sector that until now has not been allowed to trade properly,” but he warned: “The insistence on keeping day two testing still leaves us as an outlier across Europe, given most EU countries long ago removed this as a requirement for vaccinated passengers, and it is unclear why the UK has chosen to remain a special case. Until all restrictions are removed for the fully vaccinated the recovery can never be complete.”