UK tourism agencies have reported increases of up to 200% in bookings after travel restrictions simplified

Travel agencies have seen an increase in holiday bookings after the UK government announced a simplification of travel restrictions and the elimination of costly COVID-19 testing.

The UK Department for Transport reported on Friday that As of October 4, pre-boarding antigen testing for England will be waived for passengers who have the full vaccination schedule, but will remain for the unvaccinated.

End of October -date not yet fixed-, also PCR tests will no longer be required on the second day after entering England for those vaccinated, while those who have not received the doses of a preparation will still have to take this test.

Following this announcement, the CEO of the tourism company Thomas cook, Alain French, told the media that UK school holiday week travel bookings at the end of October are up 200% compared to August, but that he expects it to increase even more in the coming days.

“I hope this weekend will be the most important of the year, as people will benefit from the great deals, simpler testing requirements and a simplification of the international travel system,” he added. .

For his part, the general manager of the tourism company TUI United Kingdom, Andrew Flintham, admitted to the media that the company had seen a recovery of reserves for Turkey in October, while the Internet travel agency Skyscanner He reported that, Thirty minutes after Friday’s announcement, the company saw a 133% increase in online bookings, especially Turkey.

The other UK regions are evaluating their measures on international travel.

The government also decided remove the traffic light system to catalog countries: red (high risk), amber (medium) and green (low) to make it “red” or “open”.

Among others, the executive removed several countries from its red list, including Turkey, Egypt, Maldives, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Pakistan, but there are still several Latin American countries.

Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Uruguay and Mexico will continue for the moment in this red category.. Travelers who have stayed in these countries during the ten days preceding their departure will only be able to enter England if they have British nationality or a UK residence permit.

Passengers entering England from a country in red are required to serve a ten-day quarantine in a hotel affected by the government and bear the costs.

European states like Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, so far on the amber list, will be classified as low risk countries.

The British government aspires with these measures to “reduce travel costs“While continuing to protect public health,” said THE UK Minister for Transport, Grant shapps.

These provisions only apply England, but until now the autonomous governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland generally followed the rules decided by London.

The United Kingdom, one of the countries most affected in Europe by the coronavirus, has recorded nearly 135,000 dead since the start of the pandemic.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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