The World Travel and Tourism Council is urging the British government to scrap its controversial traffic light ratings in favour of just two categories – green and red.
On Tuesday, it emerged that controversial government amber watchlist proposals had been shelved in the face of a travel industry backlash and opposition from many Tory MPs.
The government is preparing to update its traffic light ratings for travel on Thursday (August 5).
Virginia Messina, WTTC senior vice-president and acting chief executive, said: “It’s time the government removed the ambiguity by abandoning the confusing and damaging traffic light system and replacing it with a simple system with green and red countries only, so travellers know exactly where they stand.
“While the rhetoric has changed to a more positive note, what we need is action.
“We need to provide clarity across the UK travel and tourism sector, which has been crying out for the present hugely unpredictable system to be dropped, having brought international travel from the UK to its knees.
She went on to say that the UK should “significantly widen” the green list, adding: “The UK should now open its doors not just to fully vaccinated travellers from the US and the EU, but to double-jabbed visitors from all over the world too – showing we’re open for business and ready to welcome all safe travellers.”
Furthermore, the WTTC recommends replacing day-two PCR test for arrivals in the UK to be replaced with an easy-to-use antigen test – PCR tests should only be for those who test positive, it explained.
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