British holiday flyers are set to be back in full swing, with the country’s outbound travel figures reaching 86.9 million by 2024, surpassing the 84.7 million figure recorded in 2019 despite the economic decline in Europe, estimates GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. According to GlobalData, budget-friendly travel —especially in the country’s favorite holiday destination, Spain—is set to be most popular. FILE PHOTO: Passengers queue to enter airport security ahead of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, at Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport, in London, Britain, April 14, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah McKay GlobalData’s latest report, ‘United Kingdom (UK) Source Tourism Insight, 2022 Update’, notes that the recovery in outbound tourism follows a weak 2020 and 2021, where lower trave...
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France announced it was slightly easing COVID-19 protocols for vaccinated travellers from Britain, dropping a requirement for proof of an essential reason for the trip and for obligatory self-isolation upon arrival. The demand for a negative COVID-19 test, conducted 24 hours before a trip, remains in place, the French government added on Thursday. The measures will take effect as from Friday morning. Travel industry has welcomed the development. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said, “WTTC welcomes the reopening of French borders to UK travellers. Once a variant is endemic closing borders is pointless and only damages livelihoods especially in travel and tourism one of the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic. FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks walk on a s...
Read MoreIn the French ski resort of Val d'Isere, staff had been hired, shelves fully stocked and everyone was looking forward to a good season until, that is, France banned British tourists due to fears over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The ban was announced on Thursday, just two days before the start of the holiday season. "It's an economic disaster," said resort director Christophe Lavaut, pointing out that in Val d'Isere, the bulk of the clients come from Britain. "No business in any sector can make it, losing 42% of its clients in two days." A closed chairlift is seen during a heavy snow-fall in the closed winter ski resort of Val d'Isere, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, France, December 12, 2020. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann While he does not co...
Read MoreFrance halts British visitors, EU nations tighten borders as Omicron rises
Plans for Christmas celebrations in Europe and many countries across the globe thrown into disarray France imposed travel restrictions on travellers from Britain on Thursday due to surging COVID-19 cases there, and several European countries also strengthened border controls on visitors from other EU states. Plans for Christmas celebrations in Europe and many countries across the globe have been thrown into disarray by the rapid spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant, which emerged in Hong Kong and Southern Africa last month. FILE PHOTO: People, wearing protective face masks, walk on Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, December 6, 2021. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes Britain on Wednesday recorded its hig...
Read MoreSanta Claus and heavy snow falls are attracting British tourists back to Lapland, bolstering Finland's tourism industry that has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Most of the tourists coming to Lapland over Christmas are from Britain, Sanna Karkkainen managing director of Rovaniemi Tourism and Marketing told Reuters. "The first British charters come in mid-November and for them the focus of the trip is to meet Santa," Karkkainen said. An aerial view shows the Santa Claus Village in the Arctic Circle near Rovaniemi, Finland, December 3, 2021. REUTERS/Attila Cser The city of Rovaniemi in Lapland is the official hometown of Santa Claus, its tourism website says, with attractions that include a Santa Claus village and trips inside the Arctic Circle. Karkkainen said tha...
Read MoreTurkey's tourist sector is pinning its hopes on Britain removing it from a COVID-19 travel red list later this week to help it recover from the pandemic, a spate of wildfires, and Germany's designation of Turkey as high risk. While Turkish tourism has seen a strong rebound from last year, with foreign visitor arrivals for July jumping fourfold to 4.36 million, it remains well below pre-pandemic levels. FILE PHOTO: A staff member stands next to empty tables as cafes and restaurants reopen after closing down for months amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Istanbul, Turkey. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya Many hotels in the southern Aegean region, which rely heavily on British tourists, may close by the end of August if Britain does not remove Turkey from its red list, touris...
Read MoreSun-hungry Britons landing in Portugal on Monday after a four-month coronavirus travel ban between the two countries was lifted at midnight were elated to be back on holiday. "It's fantastic. The feeling is unbelievable. We got the sun, the people, the beaches, the bars. Can't wait," said British tourist Matthew Bolden, giving the thumbs up at the arrivals gate at Lisbon airport. Twenty-two flights from Britain were due to land in Portugal on Monday, with most heading to the southern Algarve region, famous for its beaches and golf courses but nearly deserted over the past months as the pandemic kept tourists away. People arrive at Faro Airport from Manchester on the first day that Britons are allowed to enter Portugal without needing to quarantine, as coronavirus disease (COVID-1...
Read MoreBritons rush to book trips to Portugal ahead of up-in-the-air summer season
The mailbox of a well-known hotel in the heart of Lisbon was bombarded with queries as soon as Britain announced it was including the country on its travel “green list” this summer. Manuel Pinto, Mundial Hotel director, is over the moon that British holidaymakers, who are essential to Portugal’s tourism industry, will be able to return after a five-month travel ban, providing a much-needed boost to the struggling sector. A woman takes photos in Cais das Colunas amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Lisbon, Portugal, May 11, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes “I was delighted, not only on a personal level but for our country,” Pinto said, standing in Mundial’s rooftop bar, adding that British visitors had already booked around 4,000 room nights at the hotel this year. Port...
Read MoreBritain will allow international travel to resume from May 17 after months of banning most trips abroad, but nearly all major destinations were left off its list of countries open for quarantine-free holidays. Just 12 countries and territories made the so-called "green list". They include Portugal, Israel, New Zealand, Australia and the tiny Faroe Islands. Passengers wearing protective face masks arrive from Paris at Eurostar terminal at St Pancras station, as Britain imposes a 14-day quarantine on arrival from France from Saturday, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls The top four destinations - Spain, France, Italy and the United States - were among those left off, angering stricken airlines and holiday compani...
Read MoreHolidays abroad are “extremely unlikely” for most Britons this summer due to the risk of importing new variants of COVID-19, a scientist who advises the government said on Saturday, leaving airlines and travel companies bracing for a second lost peak season. Britain has banned travel for most people during the current lockdown and has said overseas holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest. FILE PHOTO: Two tourists walk near Puerto Rico beach, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Gran Canaria, Spain, March 16, 2021. REUTERS/Borja Suarez But Mike Tildesley, a scientist on a government advisory body, said the risk of importing vaccine-resistant variants back into the UK would likely scupper the nation’s annual getaway. “I think international ...
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