Coronavirus: Britain unveils countries on travel green list, including Singapore, Australia and New Zealand
- Portugal and Israel made the list, but popular destinations like the US, France, Spain and Greece did not
- International travel will resume from May 17, and the list will be reviewed every three weeks
Britain will allow people in England to resume international travel from May 17 but is limiting the number of destinations open for quarantine-free holidays to just a handful of countries as it cautiously emerges from lockdown restrictions.
Portugal, Israel, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore all made the green list for travel in a system that will be reviewed every three weeks, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. Popular destinations such as France, Spain and Greece did not.
Airlines, holiday companies and tourist hotspots in southern Europe have been waiting for over four months for big-spending Britons to start travelling again, but they will have to wait a few months longer for a full rebound to take off.
Left off the list were Spain, France, Italy and the United States, the top four most visited countries by UK residents in 2019, which all sit in the amber category, requiring self-isolation on return to Britain.
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Trade bodies for pilots and airlines said Britain was being excessively cautious and that such a limited reopening would continue to drag on an industry which is battling for survival.
Before the announcement, the chief executive of British Airways-owner IAG had called on Britain and the US to open a travel corridor given their high vaccination rates.