Thousands of Britons are expected to head back to Turkey, one of their favorite holiday spots, after a shake-up of foreign travel rules sparked a booking frenzy.
Britain simplified rules on Friday for international travel in a boost to the tourism industry, including scrapping the need for fully vaccinated passengers to take expensive COVID-19 tests on arrival from low-risk countries.
Under the new proposals, destinations will simply be ranked low or high risk, instead of red, amber and green. Eight countries, including Turkey, Pakistan and the Maldives, will be removed from the high-risk red band.
The decision means fully vaccinated people returning from Turkey will not be required to quarantine in a hotel. The changes will come into effect from Wednesday.
The news has already sparked a big surge in holiday bookings to the relief of holidaymakers and travel firms.
Holiday company TUI said it has witnessed an “uptick” in bookings for Turkey, which has spent all summer in the red travel category.
The nation was added to the high-risk category in May and has been mainly off-limits to U.K. travelers since then, stalling the nation’s vibrant tourism industry and the holiday plans of millions of potential visitors.
Turkey was the most popular destination on the red list, having attracted around 2.3 million British holidaymakers a year before the pandemic.
From Oct. 4, passengers arriving from low-risk countries will be permitted to take a cheaper lateral flow test, rather than the privately administered PCR lab tests now required. PCR tests for a family now can cost hundreds of pounds.
Unvaccinated travelers will still have to self-isolate for 10 days and undergo coronavirus tests before and after their trips, the government said.
Managing director of TUI UK Andrew Flintham said the changes were a “positive step forward” and would provide “much-needed reassurance” to those looking to book trips.
Steve Heapy, CEO of…