Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel are among the few destinations on the government’s new green list for travel.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said people in England “should not travel” to countries on the Orange List, which includes Spain, France, Italy and Greece.
People returning to England from a green destination from May 17 will not be required to self-isolate and will only need to take one coronavirus test after arrival.
The Green List also includes several remote British overseas territories and destinations where visits by British tourists are severely limited, such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei and the Faroe Islands.
Only 6% of passengers who took an international flight from a UK airport in July and August 2019 flew to what is now a green list country, the Airport Operators Association (AOA) calculated.
Vacationers who go against Mr. Shapps’ advice when visiting an amber country must self-isolate at home for 10 days and pass two tests after arriving.
The cabinet minister told a Downing Street press conference that removing the ban on international leisure travel was “necessarily prudent” and that the government must “make absolutely sure” that countries with which UK reconnects are safe.
At ChronicleLive, we want to know how you feel about going on vacation abroad this year.
Are you so excited to have already booked or are you anxious to be safe on a plane and in a foreign country where the vaccine rollout is lagging behind that of the UK?
We would like to know which country, if any, you plan to visit on the ‘green list’.
People should not travel to countries on the “orange” or “red” list for recreation and if you do, you will be subject to certain quarantine measures.
But will that discourage you? Or will you just be happy to go on vacation?
Are you planning to go on vacation this year? Have your say by taking our quick survey below.