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* Limited reopening to take place on May 17
* 12 countries, territories to have quarantine-free travel
* Industry condemns excessive caution
* Turkey added to UK's red list
(Adds Thomas Cook, TUI comment)
By Sarah Young and Kate Holton
LONDON, May 7 (Reuters) - Britain 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.
The top four destinations - Spain, France, Italy and the
United States - were among those left off, angering stricken
airlines and holiday companies battling for survival. Those four
sit in the amber category, requiring self-isolation for those
returning to the UK.
Turkey, another big holiday destination, was added to a red
list. That requires travellers to spend 10 days in managed hotel
quarantine on their return, which they must pay for themselves.
While a legal ban on all non-essential international travel
will be lifted for the first time since January, the government
said people should still avoid travelling to countries on the
amber or red lists for leisure.
"Today marks the first step in our cautious return to
international travel, with measures designed above all else to
protect public health and ensure we don’t throw away the
hard-fought gains we’ve all strived to earn this year,"
transport minister Grant Shapps said.
Airlines, holiday companies and tourist hotspots in southern
Europe have been waiting for big-spending Britons to start
travelling again, but they will have to wait a few months longer
for a full rebound to take off.
With Portugal as the first major Mediterranean holiday
destination to make the green list, Thomas Cook and Club Med
said bookings there were already up 250% on last Friday. TUI
said it had added more flights to Portugal.
The list will be reviewed every three weeks. It applies only
to people from England for now, but devolved administrations in
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to accept it
too.
Those travelling to countries on the green list will have to
take two COVID-19 tests, one before arrival back into the UK and
one within two days of returning.
'EXCESS OF CAUTION'
Trade bodies for pilots and airlines, airports and holiday
groups said Britain was being excessively cautious and such a
limited reopening would continue to drag on an industry that
had taken great strides to manage safe travel.
Experts have also said prices could shoot up for bookings to
the few places on the green list. Shapps said airports could
also see longer delays as COVID-19 test results must be checked.
Many destination countries also have their own requirements,
with many still effectively closed.
"This excess of caution from the government is extremely
disappointing for everyone who works in the travel sector,"
Brian Strutton of the British Airline Pilots Association said.
The travel industry had argued that Britain's rapid
vaccination programme should enable it to open up more quickly.
But the government has prioritised efforts to prevent
coronavirus variants from entering the country.
Heathrow Airport, the country's biggest, and British Airways
both urged the government to add more countries to the
green list when it next reviews travel in early June, and to let
those who have been fully vaccinated travel without
restrictions.
"The government should help people plan ahead by publishing
a list of countries expected to be on the green list for the
summer holidays so that passengers are not faced with high
prices for last-minute bookings," Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye
said.
Before the announcement, the head of British Airways-owner
IAG had also called on the UK and the United States to open a
travel corridor, given their high vaccination rates.
($1 = 0.7208 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young
Editing by Keith Weir, Kate Holton and Peter Graff)
