Which of our 10 favourite summer holiday destinations could reopen by June?
With vaccine passports on the horizon, holiday bookings soaring, and the end of lockdown (hopefully) nigh, the possibility of a summer getaway is increasing every day.
But which of Britons’ most popular summertime haunts might be ready to accept visitors – and which are lagging behind? Here, we look into the stats and stances of 10 summer hotspots, to help you decide where to book.
France
Chances of a summer holiday: 8/10
France announced on March 11 that travellers arriving from the UK would no longer need to have a "compelling reason" for entering the country, although the need to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test result taken no longer than 72 hours prior to departure will remain in place.
However, while holidays may be legally permitted after May 17, travellers could still face restrictions, including a quarantine on return to the UK.
It's worth also noting too that while the EU has signalled its support for vaccine passports, the French government has repeatedly sought to distance itself from the idea that only inoculated people will be able to travel. This would suggest that, even if the EU adopts a bloc-wide passport scheme, France will continue to welcome unvaccinated travellers who present evidence of a negative test.
Portugal
Chances of a summer holiday 7/10
Portugal is expected to be removed from the UK's 'red list' this week. If so, travellers arriving in England from Portugal will no longer be required to quarantine for 11 days in government-approved hotels at a cost of ￡1,750 per person. Direct flights should be able to resume. Portugal was included on the list because of its long-standing links to Brazil, and concerns about the spread of the 'Brazil variant' of Covid-19.
It's not all rosy news, though: Portugal’s borders are still closed to most Britons. However, Portuguese ministers have said they hope to welcome British tourists 'restriction-free' from mid-May.
Rita Marques, secretary of state for tourism, told the BBC: "I do believe that Portugal will soon allow restriction-free travel, not only for vaccinated people, but those who are immune or who test negative. We hope to welcome British tourists from 17 May."
She added, "Everything will be ready by mid May."
Madeira
Chances of a summer holiday 7/10
Remember the 'island corridors' of yesteryear? Which allowed restriction-free travel, so long as your destination's case rate was low enough? If reintroduced, a tactic like that could benefit Portugal's big holiday islands.
When the 'red list' status is lifted from the mainland, Madeira and The Azores will hopefully be back on the cards for travellers too.
Spain
Chances of a summer holiday 10/10
Spain could introduce its own ‘green corridor’ for vaccinated British holidaymakers, tourism minister Fernando Valdés has said.
In March, Mr Valdés confirmed that Spain was in “discussions” with the UK, and told Bloomberg: “For us the British market is our main market. But obviously since we are a member of the European Union, the solutions have first to be part of the discussions in the EU.
“And obviously if that cannot be reached, we will be thinking of other corridors like green corridors with third countries that can help us restart tourism flows.”
Spain has begun the second phase of its vaccine programme, and hopes to have 70 per cent of the adult population inoculated by the end of summer – despite a rollout initially plagued by delays and vaccine shortages.
The country is definitely feeling the pinch from the lack of British tourists: in 2019, we spent around ￡18bn annually in the country, making it the most popular holiday destination for Britons, but numbers were down by more than 80 per cent last summer. The Spanish Government will, no doubt, be hoping to claw back as much of that lost trade as possible.
Canaries and Balearics
Chances of a summer holiday 10/10
It's not just mainland Spain that Britons love. Its islands, too, are high on our hitlist – and they're already showing a proactive approach to vaccine passports and the reintroduction of travel.
The Balearic islands hope to conduct a trial run of any new vaccine passport scheme, which would enable fully inoculated travellers to visit the archipelago without restrictions.
Speaking to Telegraph Travel, The Islands' Minister for Tourism, Iago Negueruela, said: "The Balearic Islands has proposed to Spain’s central government that the archipelago becomes one of the first places where the vaccine passport is trialled.
"In 2020, the Balearics pioneered a safe tourism initiative called the Pilot Plan; a test project which launched in June 2020 to bring visitors back to the Balearic Islands in a controlled and safe way. This Pilot Plan helps to illustrate our capacity to trial these kind of initiatives before they are rolled out on a wider scale."
With an approach like this, we're confident that Spain's islands will be back on the map for summer.
Turkey
Chances of a summer holiday 7/10
Turkey's ministers have told the country's tourism industry it is "ready" for the summer season, Turkish news site Daily Sabah reports. But is Britain ready to return to Turkey?
Last year saw the country struck from our travel corridor list for perhaps not being wholly transparent with its case rate figures, so expect our Government to be cautious. That said, Turkey appears to be ploughing ahead with its Sinopharm vaccination rollout, with more than 8.45million doses administered.
Greece
Chances of a summer holiday 10/10
We’re confident that Greece will be open to British holidaymakers by summer – and so is its tourism minister, Haris Theoharis. In March, he told reporters that all Britons will be welcome in Greece this summer, regardless of whether they’ve had the vaccine.
He described vaccination programmes as “a game changer, together with rapid tests and alongside PCR tests.” Travellers who have the “required certificates” will be permitted to enter Greece without any need for self-isolation, he confirmed, and will also be exempt from taking a test before boarding a flight bound for Greece.
And those who haven’t been inoculated will still be granted access, Theoharis confirmed – as long as they have a good old fashioned negative test certificate.
The country’s vaccination programme continues apace, both on the mainland and islands: indeed, in some islands, the entire adult population has been inoculated.
So, once the vaccine is rolled out, cases fall and lockdown is lifted, it seems reasonable to assume that we’ll be welcomed back to Greece once again.
Italy
Chances of a summer holiday 6/10
Italy has backed the EU’s plans for a ‘vaccine passport’, which would enable restriction-free travel between member states. But as for Britons? There have been no juicy soundbites from ministers on whether non-EU visitors would benefit from a vaccine passport this summer.
The country’s vaccination programme is lagging: uptake among the public has been slow, though the country’s healthcare system does issue vaccination certificates for completed doses. Italy will also enter strict new lockdown measures that will be in force from March 15 through to April 6, including a total “red zone” closure of Italy during the Easter holidays.
Perhaps we will see a return to the ‘island corridors’ of last year, with holidays open to only to certain islands – and if so, Sardinia looks promising. It is currently the country’s only ‘white zone’, rendering it free from restrictions – though only fully-vaccinated travellers are permitted to enter. A sign of things to come?
Croatia
Chances of a summer holiday 6/10
Croatia's ministers have been tight-lipped on the prospects of a return to tourism this summer. Its vaccination programme began in December and continues apace, but vaccine certificates aren't in circulation – either domestically, or for international visitors.
Watch this space.
Malta
Chances of a summer holiday 8/10
Europe’s first completely vaccinated country may well be Malta. Not only is it small, with a population of around 500,000, but it is already inoculating its citizens faster than nearly every other nation on the continent.
How it approaches the return of sunseeking foreigners remains to be seen, but perhaps it will adopt the same policy as the Seychelles. The Indian Ocean archipelago has said it will reopen its borders to all travellers once its own rapid vaccine rollout is completed (possibly by the spring).
