- Which countries are on the travel green list?
- The rules on travel to the US
- Which countries are on the amber list?
- Looking forward to a summer holiday? Prepare for chaos
- Holiday bingo: What to look out for on your travels
The Government must work harder to reduce the cost of testing for British holidaymakers, the travel industry has warned after the latest announcement on easing restrictions.
The Department for Transport confirmed on Wednesday that international cruise holidays will be able to resume from August 2, and that US and EU travellers will be able to visit the UK without the need to quarantine.
But nothing was said on the high cost of PCR testing, which can rise to over £500 for a single test.
Abta, the travel association, welcomed the resumption of overseas cruising but warned barriers remain. “We need to see the Government make further progress on making testing more affordable and proportionate, and we need to see more destinations added to the Green list at next week’s review,” a spokesperson said.
Willie Walsh, the director of airline group IATA and former head of British Airways, said the announcement raised further questions. He said: “Why are travellers forced to test twice, the second time using expensive PCR tests? What’s the plan to enable unvaccinated people who have tested negative to travel without quarantine? And when will the US reciprocate?”
Scroll down for updates.
Croatia completes road bridge that skips Bosnian border checks
A bridge linking two parts of Croatia across the Adriatic Sea, meaning motorists will no longer need to pass through Bosnia, has been connected. Travellers may be familiar with it when heading from the north of the country towards the popular destination of Dubrovnik.
The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) in 2018 won an international bid to construct a 2.4-kilometer (1.5-mile) long bridge. The 420-million-euro ($500 million) construction is 85% financed by the EU and is a rare Chinese project in Europe that went through a regular bidding process.
After the final segment of the span was installed, a midnight opening ceremony on the spectacular bridge featured folk dancers, singing and a huge fireworks display.
Credit:
AP
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said during the ceremony that the bridge represents “a fascinating strategic accomplishment of the Croatian people and their state” that fulfils their long-time dream to have the Adriatic coastline connected.
The bridge and its connecting roads are expected to be completed by June of next year. Until then, road travelers wanting to visit some of Croatia’s most attractive tourist destinations, such as the Old Town section of Dubrovnik, will still have to pass through two border checkpoints between Bosnia and Croatia at the Bosnian seaside port of Neum.
‘Rip-off travel tests must come to an end’
Consumers are at the mercy of private providers to meet Government rules – it’s time prices were capped and requirements cut, writes Emma Featherstone.
“When will costs be cut? The UK’s free-for-all approach to testing fees – it is allowing the market to bring prices down, as opposed to regulating how much providers can charge – appears, at first, to have some benefit. The lowest prices on the Government’s 390-strong list for tests for green list arrivals and 405-strong for amber list arrivals, start at £23 – however they fluctuate to £575. Take a closer look and it seems less beneficial. Many providers at the cheaper end of the scale require you to carry out the test yourself, after travelling to a specific test centre.
“The UK’s system sees consumers relying on private services to meet state-mandated rules. The Government page specifies that you should do your own research. Yet, when travellers have picked a provider from an official list, they should not expect that, as some have complained, results are delivered late or a provider fails to answer customers’ emails or phone calls.
“The requirements placed on travellers appear even more irksome when you consider just how much money is to be made within the testing industry. Those travelling to and from the UK by air spent at least £380million on tests in the first six months of 2021, according to a Bloomberg analysis. And during most of that period there was a ban on overseas travel from England (it lifted on May 17). How much will providers have made by the end of 2021?”
UK faces anxious wait to see if US travel reopens
Britain expects the US to drop its UK travel ban after ministers reopened the border to Americans, the Transport Secretary said on Wednesday night.
Grant Shapps announced that fully vaccinated travellers from the US and the EU would be allowed to enter Britain without quarantine from Monday morning, and made it clear he expected the move to be reciprocated for British holidaymakers.
Currently, foreigners from the UK are barred from entry to the US along with those from China, Brazil, India, South Africa and much of Europe, including Switzerland and Norway.
There had been hopes that Washington and European nations would open up their borders simultaneously with the UK. But that looked to have failed, calling into question Britain’s approach of bypassing Brussels and appealing directly to European countries to permit travel from the UK.
“Everyone is lobbying the Americans left, right and centre,” said one UK diplomatic source. Another predicted a renewed drive to convince the US to “open up”.
But aviation sources closely following the discussions warned that Mr Biden may not lift the overseas travel ban until September – which would scupper hopes of Britons for US summer holidays.