No more staycations: End of UK travel rules boosts half-term holiday abroad
The scrapping of post-arrival tests for fully vaccinated has given a huge boost to Brits’ confidence to travel abroad.
According to data released today by travel association ABTA, around 833,000 people will go on holiday abroad this half-term, choosing Turkey, Portugal as well as sky resorts in France and Italy as their preferred destinations.
Following two years of staycations, families have emerged as the group for which a gateway has become more important.
Around 64 per cent of families with children under 16 admitted that, post-pandemic, holidays have come to mean more.
“Today’s changes to the travel rules are the start of a new chapter for the travel industry’s recovery,” said ABTA’s director of communications Graeme Buck. “Testing has been one of the biggest barriers to travel, so it’s hugely welcome that the process of travelling abroad is now much cheaper and easier for millions of UK holidaymakers.
“It’s great to see so many families treating themselves to some quality time together this February half term and now that the UK’s restrictions have eased, we expect many more will feel confident to travel and will start to plan their summer break.”
Despite the relaxation of travel rules in the UK, consumer group Which? recommended travellers to check other countries’ requirements, especially in Europe.
“Some popular European holiday destinations require tests or have bans on the entry of children in some age groups who have not been vaccinated so it’s especially important that families check the rules with the FCDO but also their airline who will ultimately decide who can travel,” said Which? travel editor Rory Boland.
The data comes a few days after travel trend firm ForwardKeys reported that UK bookings for the summer are going back to almost pre-pandemic levels, lagging only 16 per cent on 2019 levels, Morning Wire reported.