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* Transport minister to set out green list countries
* Minister: We want people to have a holiday
* Anger rises over travel restrictions
* Germany's Merkel: Europe should quarantine Brits
(Adds further comment, background)
By Sarah Young and Guy Faulconbridge
LONDON, June 24 (Reuters) - Britain wants to allow people to
have holidays abroad again but the government is wary of the
risks, a minister said on Thursday ahead of an announcement on
whether a narrow list of quarantine-free travel destinations
would be expanded.
Anger is growing at Britain's onerous restrictions on
foreign travel: pilots, cabin crew, travel agents and other
workers from the travel industry held protests on Wednesday,
begging the government to open up more routes.
British citizens are essentially prevented from travelling
to most countries - including those in the European Union - as
quarantine and testing rules are so cumbersome and expensive.
"Personally I want us to get back to a position where we can
support those who want to travel to do so," Environment
Secretary George Eustice told Sky News when asked if Brits could
soon be on the beach in Spain's Balearic Islands.
"But it is difficult, we are being cautious," he added,
saying that there was a risk of new variants emerging in other
countries which are more resistant to vaccination.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will later on Thursday say
whether any new destinations are added to England's "green" list
for quarantine free travel amid speculation that restrictions
could be eased for Spanish islands such as Ibiza.
Eustice warned that there were unlikely to be huge changes
to the green list.
Malta and the Portuguese island of Madeira have also been
touted as possible additions to the list, and British Airways
, easyJet and TUI have said they will
be ready to go should new destinations open.
QUARANTINE CALL
Currently there are just 11 "green" destinations where
Britons can go without having to quarantine for 10 days on their
return, despite the easing of lockdown domestically.
Those rules have held back any recovery for airlines and
holiday companies which are on their knees after nearly 18
months of COVID-19 restrictions.
A wider reopening of travel from the UK also faces a new
challenge as European destinations could start to restrict
entry.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday she would like
European countries to require people entering from Britain to go
into quarantine, as is the case in Germany, citing the high
prevalence of the more infectious Delta variant in the UK.
British ministers have said they are considering plans to
ditch quarantine requirements for vaccinated people, with more
details expected to be published on June 28 when the "traffic
light" system is reviewed.
Shares in most travel stocks have risen this year, with
easyJet up 17% and TUI up 40% on hopes that progress with the
vaccination will ease restrictions, although the reopening has
so far disappointed in Britain at least.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Sarah Young; editing by
Kate Holton and Philippa Fletcher)
