The bosses of the Ravel industry are cautious about the expansion of the green list, but warn that it is “not enough.”
Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced that starting Wednesday, some destinations will be added to the travel green list-passengers returning from these destinations do not need to self-quarantine.
These include Malta And some Caribbean destinations such as Spain’s Balearic Islands and Bermuda, Antigua Barbados And Grenada.
But while leaders in the travel and tourism industry welcomed the move, they warned that it was not enough to help the industry recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Karen Dee, CEO of the Airport Operators Association, said: “Any expansion of the Green List is welcome, regardless of scale, but we must also be realistic: this is not yet the aviation industry’s ability to recover from the pandemic. Meaningful restart.”
Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss added: “This is a constructive step. government It has been recognized that Antigua, Barbados and Grenada can be classified as “green”, allowing family and friends to eventually reunite and spend a much-needed holiday.
“However, today’s announcement is far from enough.”
Mr. Shapus also stated that the government’s intention is “later in the summer” so that fully vaccinated British residents do not have to be isolated when travelling from amber-listed countries.
Ms. Dee said this was a welcome step and urged the government to announce the details of its plan as soon as possible to “save the rest of the summer.”
She added: “Although this is not the vaccine dividend that the British hope for, the government’s intention to exempt fully vaccinated travelers from quarantine is welcome.
“At the same time, the overly cautious approach continues to have a significant financial impact on the airport.”
Mr. Weiss stated that the government needs to lift the quarantine of fully vaccinated passengers returning from amber and green list countries no later than July 19 when the restrictions are relaxed.
He added: “The UK has fallen behind the reopening of the European Union, and continued over-cautious practices will further affect the economic recovery and the 500,000 jobs faced by the UK.”
The Acting Secretary General of the British Airways Pilots Association (Balpa) Brian Strutton and Ms. Dee called on the government to provide more financial support to the aviation industry.
Mr. Struton said: “As some countries want to keep us away, it is now necessary to immediately provide the customized financial support promised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer last year.”
Ms. Dee added: “Unless more support is provided, many jobs in the aviation and tourism sectors will continue to be at risk.”
The union Unite stated that the government, as a “minimum”, needs to extend the vacation plan until next spring to protect aviation work.
The restrictions on international travel will change regularly, and once they change, the cost for vacationers will be high
Its Assistant Secretary-General Diana Holland (Diana Holland) said: “If they do not, then when the CJRS comes into effect, thousands of workers will be at risk of losing their jobs. [Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme] the end.
“Traffic light systems are simply not suitable for use; a multi-billion pound industry cannot plan for the future because carpets can be pulled out of them every three weeks.”
The Ministry of Transport stated that in addition to Malta, all places added to the green list will also be added to the “green watch list”, and Israel and Jerusalem will also be added to the “green watch list”-which indicates that these places are at risk of changing from green to amber. .
Rory Boland, which one? Travel editors say travelers need to be “extremely cautious” when booking travel this summer, even for green-listed destinations.
He added: “As we have seen in Portugal, the country can be downgraded quickly with little warning, and several European countries have already imposed isolation requirements on British residents.
“The restrictions on international travel are changing regularly, and when they change, the cost to vacationers is huge.”
But Thomas Cook CEO Alan French said that he expects to usher in a “harvest weekend” bookings after the announcement.
He added: “Today’s announcement is great news for our customers, who are eager for the holiday and have been waiting with bated breath for the latest updates.
“We hope to see a huge increase in bookings on weekends because people are eager to return to their favorite islands and take what they deserve in the swimming pool or Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, sunny beaches position Madeira And Malta. “
