NEWS


Map showing the 26 destinations to which people from England can travel without restrictions upon arrival or return


Mainland Portugal left off ‘safe’ lists


Ben Ireland


The government’s two lists of ‘safe’ destinations have been dubbed “confusing” as only 26 are accessible for travellers from England without restrictions such as quarantine at either end. The Department for Transport’s


but ‘good start’ We’re happy there


are a good number of countries. It’s important we’ve got to where we are. It’s a good list


of that. The industry asked for that. It would be time-consuming to have bilateral agreements. It’s better than only having a list where you can travel in both directions. Our focus is to make it clearer to communicate. “We’re happy there are a good


number of countries. Now we’re looking for a solution to allow transit [passengers]. But it’s important we’ve got to where we are.” A second aviation source agreed:


“It’s a good list. Not getting the de- volved nations on board was a blow and undermines the messaging that it’s safe to fly. But Westminster was in a bind, under pressure from us to get this out.


travelweekly.co.uk “The traffic light system is in


place. All the countries on the list are green or amber – the government just decided a list would be clearer. “The next thing will be getting


‘red’ countries into a testing regime.” That would allow arrivals from countries such as the US. The source said: “Our ideal would


be passengers take a test before departure. We would run into all sorts of difficulties with testing on arrival. Airports are space-constrained and you have to keep people waiting. If the government won’t pay for it, passengers would have to.” However, tests could cost as much


as £150. The airline source noted: “If


testing can work at scale, it could be useful in opening other markets. [But] it’s costly and takes time.” The next review of restrictions is


scheduled for July 27. i Get Social, page 20 i Holiday intentions, back page


9 JULY 2020 5


list of 59 countries plus 14 British Oversees Territories exempt from quarantine on return to England, and the Foreign Office’s list of 67 destinations to which it no longer advises against travel, were sifted by The PC Agency and research agency Audiencenet. They ran them against those


countries’ restrictions on entry to UK citizens or quarantine rules on arrival to find that only 26 are ‘open’ to UK visitors – including Greece and Malta which reopen on July 15 (main picture). While those include major


destinations Spain, Italy, France, Croatia and Turkey, Portugal does not feature after being omitted from the government’s lists. The country was left off the


DfT list, along with Dubai and Abu Dhabi, China, the Maldives, Sweden and the US, but the


The Algarve, Portugal


Portuguese islands of Madeira and the Azores were on the FCO list. Portugal saw a fresh Covid-19


outbreak in Lisbon last week but was the first European destination to receive the ‘Travel Safe’ stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council. Luis Araújo, president of the


Portuguese Tourism Board, said he was “extremely disappointed” by the UK lists, adding: “The reality in Portugal is totally different from the one portrayed by this decision.” He said Portuguese tourism


had been “entirely safely” back in operation “for several weeks”. Despite being included, Cyprus is


closed to anyone who has been in the UK in the previous 14 days. Austria is advising people only enter for essential reasons. Ireland extended its 14-day quarantine to July 20. Australia and New Zealand have


closed their borders because of the risk of importing coronavirus from countries with higher rates. Paul Charles, chief executive of


the PC Agency, which produced the details, said: “Consumers are confused. It’s just not clear which countries are accessible without having to quarantine on arrival.”


PICTURE: Shutterstock


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