Turkey has announced today that British tourists will be welcome in the country this summer without having to show a vaccination certificate.
Visitors from the UK will not need to produce a Covid vaccine passport, but will need to show proof of a negative PCR test.
The country also promises to provide testing for tourists before they return to the UK, with tests at hotels or airports costing around £25. Until now PCR tests for a family of four can cost as much as £500.
Tui, the world’s largest tour operator, said it had seen a surge in bookings to popular Turkish coastal resorts even before today’s announcement.
Travel consultancy The PC Agency told MailOnline it had seen a spike in bookings for luxury villas in Greece, Portugal and Mallorca after the Greek Tourism Minister announced the plan to welcome British tourists from mid-May.
The agency revealed people are booking up for month-long trips and asking for WiFi and a desk and are taking the whole family so that they can get paid to work from home while on holiday.
The PC Agency said it had seen double the amount of requests for Greek villas compared to previous years, with demand for fully serviced villas with a chef, butler and housekeeper so tourists can stay away from restaurants and crowds.
Popular islands Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu and Crete are already getting booked up, with most bookings from 2020 rolled over into this year.
Brits are also looking for properties on smaller islands including Hydra, Paxos and Syros, which are off the beaten track and away from the crowds, according to The PC Agency.
Popular islands Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu and Crete are already booking up fast, with most bookings from 2020 rolled over into this year.
This comes as Downing Street last night said the ban on foreign holidays is on track to be lifted on May 17, with travel opened up to as many as 30 countries.
Turkey’s tourism minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the ‘successful vaccination programmes in the UK and Turkey will ensure this season is even safer than last year’.
Mr Ersoy added: ‘We are looking forward to welcoming British tourists with open arms, as we did safely last summer.
‘We have world-class border processes in place for ensuring travel will be low-risk throughout Turkey.
‘We are working with the British authorities to ensure these necessary processes are world-class and as up-to-date as possible.
‘We will not require vaccination passports from international travellers when entering the country.’
A priority vaccination program is already underway for employees at hotels and other tourist facilities to receive a jab before the start of the summer season.
Some 20,775,790 million vaccination doses have been administered in Turkey as of 22 April.
Tourists visiting Turkey are also being offered a special insurance package, from £12, which covers Covid related expenses such as treatment, medication and emergency care costs that may be incurred if visitors are taken to a state-owned or private hospital during their stay in the country.
A TUI spokesman said: ‘This is great news because our bookings to Turkey have been incredibly strong, second only to Greece.
‘We’re committed to working closely with the Government so our customers can look forward to a much-needed holiday abroad this summer.’
And Bulgaria, eager to encourage holiday-makers to its Black Sea resorts, has also announced it will ease rules for entry to the Balkan country from May 1.
The country’s outgoing health minister Kostadin Angelov said entry will be allowed for tourists who show a vaccination certificate, with a negative test result from a PCR or an antigen test.
Tourists can alternatively show proof that they have recovered from the coronavirus infection in the past six months.
Earlier this week, Greece lifted quarantine restrictions for British travellers, raising the prospect of holidays to the Mediterranean country in less than a month if ministers lift the ban on foreign travel on May 17 – although tourists could face quarantine after flying home.
It is extremely unlikely Greece would qualify as a green list destination not requiring quarantine, because its current Covid prevalence of 271 cases per million is far higher than the level considered acceptable, which is around 50.
Covid laws mean anyone caught taking a foreign holiday before the end of June currently faces a £5,000 fine.
But No10 said ministers were now confident the ban will be lifted on May 17 – the most optimistic date set out in Boris Johnson‘s roadmap for easing the lockdown.
There has so far been no sign of the feared spike in Covid cases since the reopening of shops, gyms, hairdressers and outdoor hospitality last week – which could have derailed the roadmap.
Asked about the May 17 target, the PM’s official spokesman said: ‘There is nothing in the data that suggests we need to change the dates.’
A final decision will be made early next month.
But Paul Charles, boss of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said he expected up to 30 countries to be considered ‘green’ destinations – not requiring travellers to quarantine upon return.
Hopes of an early return for foreign holidays were boosted after the EU indicated UK residents would be exempt from a travel ban because of this country’s high vaccination rate.
Israel, Iceland and some Caribbean islands are among the countries most likely to be named on the initial ‘green list’ next month.
The Commons transport committee yesterday urged ministers to name the ‘green list’ by May 1 to give firms and families time to plan.
………………………………………………………………
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.