HOW IT’S LOOKING AT THE TOP SPOTS…
THE LIKELIHOOD of an overseas summer holiday partly depends upon the success of the global vaccine rollout.
Many countries are this summer expected to shift towards allowing people in if they have been vaccinated, highlighting the importance of a vaccine passport.
This could reduce the need to quarantine upon arrival.
Demand has rocketed for many of the most popular destinations in Europe, the Middle East and even further afield to places such as America.
GREECE
More than 730,000 people have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine here.
Harry Theocharis, the country’s tourism minister, has said he is keen for Britons to travel there as soon as possible and has called on EU leaders to “move more quickly” to embrace the vaccine certificates that could allow mass travel to resume.
Athens has been particularly aggressive in pursuing vaccination passports as the key to tourism.
Greece has already signed a deal with Israel to allow people who have been vaccinated to move between the two countries without the need to show a negative virus result.
SPAIN
Reyes Maroto, the tourism minister, yesterday announced details of the return of visitors this summer.
He said travel to the Costa Del Sol region of Spain is very likely to resume once international vaccine passports are agreed.
The Spanish holiday islands are already expected to be among the first holiday destinations people can travel to.
Badly hit by the virus, 3,090,351 people have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine so far and restrictions will relax soon.
TURKEY
Turkey has launched a Safe Tourism Certification Programme, which addresses a broad range of safety measures covering transport, accommodation and health conditions for tourists and hospitality employees.
Here, 6,837,302 people have received at least one dose.
PORTUGAL
Holidays to Portugal are unlikely for a while as it is currently on Britain’s red list due to concern about the Brazilian variant of the virus.
A total of 680,257 have received at least one dose of vaccine.
CYPRUS
Savvas Perdios, deputy tourism minister, has said airports will be opened to all on March 1.
Those vaccinated will not need a PCR test to enter.
The island has inoculated 56,791 people so far.
BARBADOS
With just 19,089 inoculated in a population of around 287,000, tourism chiefs here are being urged to target people who have not been vaccinated.
CROATIA
Tourism chief Veljko Ostojic has said holidays could resume by Easter, but will most likely be from mid-May. A total of 166,146 have had the jab.
USA
British nationals cannot currently enter the US and there is no indication of when these rules are likely to change. So far 64.18million have been vaccinated.
UAE
Currently on our red list, millions flock to the UAE, and in particular Dubai, for a getaway. But with a high vaccination rate, a holiday could be back on later this year. So far, 5.56million have been vaccinated.