Boris Johnson is being urged to rethink the decision to impose 14-day quarantine restrictions on all arrivals to the UK.
The appeal has come from the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) following a webinar attended by tourism ministers and industry leaders from several Commonwealth nations including Australia, Cyprus, the Caribbean, Malta and the Maldives.
They all voiced major concern about the planned UK quarantine restrictions – planned from June – and the impact on them.
More than 100 industry leaders and governments joined the tourism webinar on Tuesday.
Lord Marland, chair of the not for profit organisation, has now written to the prime minister calling for a review of the quarantine plans.
In a letter to webinar delegates, he said: “CWEIC noted the heartfelt appeals from many of you whose economies and businesses have taken a huge economic hit from this pandemic, not to mention the millions in the tourism and hospitality industry who have been left unemployed.
“We were particularly moved by the stories from small island states where trade has almost ground to a complete standstill in the absence of tourists, and particularly British tourists.
“Your calls for more co-ordination between governments and tourism service providers across the Commonwealth so that health and safety protocols can be uniformly developed, are sensible and would indeed assist with the creation of safe passages between some low-risk countries to get the industry started again.
“Another impediment to restarting the industry, as you rightly flagged, is the UK government’s plan to impose a 14-day quarantine for visitors and returning travellers from June.
“Today I have written a generic letter to the prime minister of the United Kingdom to convey these concerns and request that the decision to impose the compulsory quarantine on visitors coming to the UK be reviewed.”
