The government is preparing to announce the lifting of quarantine measures to a list of EU destinations, with restrictions on travel to be relaxed from July 4.
Bilateral talks on ‘travel corridors’ with as many as 12 governments are underway, according to media reports, including with Portugal, Spain, Greece and France.
But the number of countries to which travel would open could be fewer than 10.
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The corridors will be opened with states having comparable or lower rates of Covid-19 infection and adequate health measures in place at airports and in public places.
They would remove the requirement for returning UK holidaymakers and visitors to the UK to self-isolate for 14 days.
The Foreign Office would relax its advice against all but essential travel to those countries with agreements in place.
Quarantine restrictions were imposed on visitors and returning travellers from June 8 and are set for review by June 29.
Travel corridors or ‘air bridges’ are subsequently likely to be extended to other EU member states and members of the European Economic Area such as Switzerland.
However, quarantine restrictions are likely to remain in place at least for the summer and possibly beyond to most of the rest of the world.
Germany, which has a lower infection rate than the UK, has restricted travel to 160 countries until the end of August.
The Daily Telegraph reports UK government officials have drawn up criteria to determine the risk posed by each destination.
It quoted an aviation source who said: “It is work in progress – risk first, and how you measure that risk, followed by the popularity of the destination.”
However, research suggests many potential holidaymakers remain cautious about travelling abroad this summer.
A BVA-BDRC survey of more than 1,700 UK adults in late May suggested only 4% intend to take an overseas holiday by the end of September.
The researchers concluded UK government quarantine restrictions have “had a dramatic impact” on outbound travel intentions,
The BVA-BDRC research found that where UK consumer intentions to travel domestically and overseas had been broadly similar up to early May, by the end of last month: “The difference in lead [booking] time between UK and overseas trips had diverged considerably.”
A separate study in early June, part of a new Scottish Tourism Index, suggested two out of three Scots would prefer not to fly following the Covid-19 lockdown.
Four out of 10 (40%) said they would not set foot on an aircraft for the foreseeable future and an additional 27% said they would seek to avoid flying.
More: Go-ahead sought for Covid-19 tests trial on UK arrivals
Tui announces it is ‘ready to take Brits on holiday again’
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