Claire Thomson
The UK has slowly been opening its borders, with the most recent announcement declaring that dozens of long-haul destinations have been removed from the red list in England.
This is the first time since the pandemic began that travellers have the option to plan long-distance holidays, visit loved ones, or live their dream, without strict restrictions on return.
What is changing?
As of 4am on October 11, 47 countries, including Mexico, South Africa, and Thailand, were eliminated from the red travel list, meaning that spending 11 nights in hotel quarantine, at a cost of up to £2,285 per person, is no longer required. Only seven countries, all of which are in South America, remain on the list.
As of present, the removal of these countries is only for arrival to England, but so far, the other nations have generally followed suit.
Following the announcement made by the government on Thursday 7 October, Skyscanner, an online travel agency and comparison company, reported a 60% rise in traffic in the first three hours following this breaking news, compared with the same time period the previous week.
With half-term and Christmas break quickly approaching, keen travellers are looking to venture a bit further now that they have the freedom to do so. Whilst Spain still tops the charts for the most searched for country on Skyscanner, it is expected that former red list countries will begin to jump up the list.
Additionally, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has lifted its recommendation against non-essential travel to 43 more countries and territories, following the removal of travel advisories to 41 locations last week. These countries include many of the same countries that have been removed from the UK’s red travel list. This will make it easier for tourists to obtain travel insurance to these destinations.
Despite the easing of restrictions for international arrivals in the UK, it may not still be possible to enter foreign countries abroad. For example, whilst Australia is no longer on the red list, the country is still not accepting tourists until 2022.
Later this month, the UK government is expected to announce a change to testing requirements for passengers returning to the UK. These will be the replacement of PCR tests with Lateral Flow tests, however, the details of this development still remain in the balance.
The future of travel is still very much uncertain with the fluctuations in Covid-19 cases, but slowly but surely we’re gaining back the freedom to explore the world and have adventures of a lifetime.
Feature image courtesy of Free-Photos via Pixabay. Image licence can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Claire Thomson
Aspiring Sports Journalist and Modern Languages Student (French/German) at University of Glasgow