The relaxation of test requirements for vaccinated travellers by France at the weekend and vaccine rules for teenagers by Spain from Monday came too late to boost half-term holiday traffic to the countries, say travel agents.
The promised simplification of the UK Passenger Locator Form (PLF), which all international arrivals must complete, also proved more limited than travellers might have hoped.
Kelly Cookes, Advantage Travel Partnership leisure director, hailed the relaxations in restrictions by France and Spain but said: “It was too late for half term. People had already moved their bookings or changed to another destination.”
France removed the need for Covid tests for vaccinated UK arrivals and Spain relaxed the rules for children aged 12 to 17 who aren’t double vaccinated to allow entry with a negative pre-departure PCR test.
The French government also removed the need for unvaccinated travellers to self-isolate upon entry, but they still need an essential reason to travel and a negative pre-departure test.
However, Cookes said: “The rules are still complex and the need for a test will continue to be off-putting.”
Andy Tomlinson, managing director of Midlands-based Sutton Travel, agreed: “It is good news. [But] we had a family booked to France skiing. They no longer needed tests but had already paid for them.”
David Carruthers, director of the Conexo Travel agency in York, suggested it was “too late for the countries to benefit”, saying: “We had families cancel holidays to Spain for the half term.”
Transport secretary Grant Shapps hailed the UK’s easing of test requirements and “simplified Passenger Locator Form [PLF]” from February 11 as “a landmark moment as we become one of the most open countries in the world”.
However, the PLF simplification was limited. An aviation source told Travel Weekly: “There were some consequences of removing the test requirements, but it hasn’t simplified much. Discussions on simplifying the PLF are continuing.”
A second source said: “The simplification will be phased in. The government does want to make it simpler. It also wants more of the data stored.”
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