Hopes that ski breaks in France will be taking off
PEOPLE in East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire who have booked ski holidays in France will be relieved to hear that the country is preparing to reopen its borders to UK holidaymakers within days.
Alexandre Holroyd, a French National Assembly member who represents the country’s expatriates living in the UK, said a “significant easing of travel restrictions will be announced very soon”.
He added that details will be confirmed “in the days to come”.
France introduced a ban on nonessential travel to and from the UK on December 18 in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The rules were partly eased last week to allow some business travel to take place. Lifting the tourism ban will mean thousands of people in the UK who have booked ski holidays in France will be able to travel.
This will be a major boost to winter sports travel firms, particularly ahead of the vital February half-term period.
One travel agent, Ski Line, is selling ski trips from the UK to France departing on Saturday in anticipation of the
travel ban being axed.
The Kent-based firm said: “French holidays could be back on this weekend. We are expecting the French government to make an announcement to confirm that British vaccinated skiers can enter France from this Saturday.”
It told potential customers they could be “one of the few lucky skiers in France this weekend”, adding that they will get a full refund before Friday if no announcement on the travel ban being lifted is made.
People currently allowed to enter France from the UK are required to show evidence of a negative coronavirus test taken within 24 hours before departure. They must also self-isolate for 48 hours after they arrive and then take another test.
The news comes after vaccines minister Maggie Throup told the Burton Mail’s sister paper the Derby Telegraph that the UK Government would be issuing no formal guidance advising against holidays this year, but warned travellers that the situation could change quickly.
The move marks a change from a year ago when Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that people should not book a holiday in the UK or abroad as cases spiked with the Delta variant at the start of 2021.