Industry leaders are lobbying hard for a further easing of travel restrictions following the relaxation of rules on travel to amber countries for those fully vaccinated from Monday.
There is urgency to the demands given the summer recess of Parliament from July 23 could cut off the chance for further improvement before September.
At the same time there are concerns at new restrictions being imposed around Europe and at widespread public ignorance of the requirements in destinations.
A senior industry source told Travel Weekly: “Everyone is checking what they need to do coming back to the UK. They’re not checking the requirements in the destination. Foreign Office [FCDO] advice seems to be the last thing people check.”
The government is poised to review its classification of countries this week amid reports the Balearics could lose its green list status.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps last week confirmed those fully vaccinated by the NHS could travel to amber countries without self-isolating on return from July 19. Travellers will still need a test pre-departure and PCR test post-arrival in the UK, but no second PCR test.
Shapps also confirmed: “We’ll remove the guidance that people should not travel to amber countries.”
Crucially, children under 18 returning from amber countries won’t need to self-isolate and Shapps promised “guidance for those [adults] not vaccinated”.
But he also warned: “An amber list country could still turn red, meaning mandatory hotel quarantine. I can provide no guarantees.”
A leading aviation source said: “The ability to travel if vaccinated is what we wanted and the government has been pragmatic on children.
“The push now is to get the policy expanded by July 23. If there is no movement by then we’re probably not going to get any more before September.”
July 31 is the next system review date, meaning an announcement on that is likely next week, and the source suggested: “Recognition of EU vaccination could come.”
There were more-limited hopes of this week’s country review.
A second source said: “Shapps’ announcement was as good as we could expect. But we need more before Parliament’s recess otherwise the next review is October 1 and that will be too late. First, recognise vaccinated passengers from elsewhere.
“Second, do passengers from green list countries need a PCR test? Third, change the policy on transit passengers.
“We think more announcements are close but the water is murky. We have to start with the EU. The US is more difficult. The Foreign Office relaxing advice to the US is not much use if you can’t travel there.”
The FCDO relaxed its travel guidance for the US and advice against all but essential travel to Spain, France, Greece and Cyprus among more than 20 destinations. However, Cyprus put the UK in its red category and Malta also tightened restrictions.
A third source said: “It’s a rapidly changing picture. There are different requirements everywhere and we expect that to continue. We’re concerned about a tightening in the autumn. We don’t believe we’ve seen the last of restrictions.”