Travel
Brits will be able to book summer holidays abroad this year, government announces
‘For the first time people can start to think about visiting loved ones abroad or perhaps a summer holiday’
A government minister has confirmed that you will be able to book a summer holiday abroad this year.
Grant Shapps announced the news today, saying that the official advice not to plan foreign trips has now been ditched.
The transport secretary also said the government would attempt to drive down the cost of testing for anyone wanting a summer holiday or to see friends and family abroad.
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However, Mr Shapps urged people to wait a little bit longer to start booking anything, as the government won’t be publishing the ‘green list’ of countries for ‘two or three weeks’.
The Government will operate a ‘traffic light’ system for international travel when it resumes, which is currently penciled in for May 17th.
Countries will be classed as either green, amber, or red under the scheme, depending on each destination’s rate of vaccination and testing capacity.
He added, when asked whether people should start booking trips: “My advice today would be moving on from where we were before.
“I’m not telling people they shouldn’t book summer holidays now, it’s the first time I’ve been able to say that for many months.”
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According to reports, the US, Malta, Gibraltar and large parts of the Caribbean have been tipped for the green list, while Greece could also make the cut.
Spain and Italy could also join from June if their vaccine programmes have progressed well.
Mr Shapps advised people to wait and see which countries will be on the green list, saying: “And of course actually I think people would want to be clear about which countries are going to be in the different traffic light system and people predominantly of course will be looking to book in a green country.
“There’s only two or three weeks to wait before we publish that list itself but yes, tentative progress.
“For the first time people can start to think about visiting loved ones abroad or perhaps a summer holiday.
“But we’re doing it very very cautiously because we don’t want to see any return of coronavirus in this country.”