MORE countries have been added to the UK travel ban list, affecting thousands of British tourists at short notice.
However, there are still a number of destinations which remain on the UK's air bridge list announced last month, which deem the countries safe for travel.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) published a list of destinations that are exempt from its quarantine on July 3, followed by the ending of the advisory against all non-essential travel on July 10.
The list is subject to change, as was seen over the weekend of July 25/26 when Spain was suddenly struck off, leaving absolute chaos among tourists who were out there or had planned a trip.
Luxembourg was removed from the safe list on July 31, followed by Andorra, The Bahamas and Belgium on August 8.
From 4am on August 15, France, Netherlands and Malta are also on the ban list, along with Monaco, Aruba and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Some countries are making improvements, however – on July 28, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadines were added to the list.
It is worth noting that some of the "safe" countries which don't require a UK quarantine still have their own travel restrictions in place for British tourists.
Previous analysis by travel consultancy The PC Agency and consumer research agency AudienceNet found around 25 locations included on the lists do not have border controls that stop English visitors entering.
Others, such as New Zealand, are either closed to international flights or impossible to enter without quarantine or coronavirus testing, according to the analysis.
Greece, a popular holiday destination for Brits, is included on the list though some quarantines are still in place if you test positive on arrival and you must fill in a Passenger Locator Form before travelling.
Cyprus requires a negative coronavirus test to enter, while other countries such as Australia and Turkey have coronavirus testing or quarantine restrictions as well.
Full list of countries with unrestricted travel
There are around 70 countries on the unrestricted travel list:
Europe
Austria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Norway
Poland
San Marino
Slovakia
Slovenia
Switzerland
Turkey
Americas and Caribbean
Antigua & Barbuda
Bermuda
Canada
Cayman Islands
Cuba
Curaçao
Dominica
Falkland Islands
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Jamaica
Martinique
South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Maarten
St Martin and St Barthélemy
St Pierre and Miquelon
St Vincent and The Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Asia-Pacific
Australia
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei
Cambodia
Cook Islands
Fiji
French Polynesia
Hong Kong
Japan
Laos
Macao
Malaysia
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Samoa
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna
Africa
Reunion
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Antarctica
British Antarctic Territory
The PC Agency chief executive Paul Charles previously said: "Consumers are confused by the two lists produced by Government, as it's just not clear which countries are actually accessible without having to quarantine on arrival."
Emma Coulthurst, consumer advocate for price comparison site TravelSupermarket, also previously said: "There are some countries on the UK Government FCO and DfT lists which are refusing UK citizens entry or imposing strict entry requirements, which either completely prevent holidays or make them extremely difficult or more costly."
Boris Johnson said earlier this week that he had to be “absolutely ruthless” over imposing the travel rules, “even with our closest and dearest friends and partners”.
The PM added: “I think everybody understands that. We can’t be remotely complacent about our own situation. "
"Everybody understands that in a pandemic you don’t allow our population to be re-infected or the disease to come back in.
"That is why the quarantine measures are very important and we have to apply them in a very strict way.”
Thousands of holidaymakers are being urged to check their travel insurance over fears they could be left out of pocket for trips if heading to a country which still has quarantine restrictions.
Holiday-starved families may still be able travel to another country on the full list, but will end up spending their time away in self-isolation.
Travellers are now being urged to check the terms and conditions of their travel insurance to see what it means for their trip, with fears growing that thousands of people may not be able to claim any money back.
Resolver CEO Alex Neill told The Sun: "Anyone booking now needs to do their homework and be aware they’re the ones bearing all the risk.
"If you’ve already got a pre-booked holiday you may very well face the situation of being able to go, so the trip isn’t cancelled, but having to quarantine."
Source: Read Full Article