The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Winter sun is on!
The reduction of the red list to seven countries is a ray of sunshine, says Greg Dickinson
The nights are drawing in and Christmas is looming, which can mean only one thing. It’s time to dig out that half-full bottle of Piz Buin, check that your swimsuit still fits, and dust off your passport. After a fallow year in 2020/2021, winter-sun holidays are back.
On Thursday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that 47 countries would be removed from the red list, including some of the UK’s favourite long-haul holiday destinations. This means that, as of 4am on Monday, British nationals will be able to return from these countries without needing to go into hotel quarantine on their arrival. And if they are double-vaccinated, there is no need to quarantine at all; they just need to take a test within 72 hours of arriving home.
First, a moment’s thought for the countries that have been left behind. After Thursday’s announcement, just seven countries remain on the red list: Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Haiti, Venezuela and the Dominican
Republic. Separately, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to advise against travel to many countries for non-Covid-related reasons, as it did before the pandemic. And, of course, many countries still have their own quarantine requirements in place for international travel.
So which countries are on the menu for your winter getaway? For sun, sea and sand, there is plenty to get excited about. The Seychelles and Cape Verde are back and open to Britons. Mexico is perhaps the most appealing choice, however, thanks to its relaxed entry requirements; you simply need to register your trip prior to arrival and show a QR code at the border. Its unique combination of Mayan ruins, pastel-washed towns and white sand beaches will sate the appetite of every type of traveller. It’s a good time to go: winter is the dry season in Mexico, and temperatures will hover in the 20Cs.
Plenty more places have opened up across the Atlantic, too. In the Caribbean, Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago have been taken off the red list and are
welcoming British holidaymakers, albeit with testing or paperwork requirements. Hopping across the equator, South America has finally received the green light after the mainland was red-listed in its entirety on February 15. Bolivia and Brazil are open to British arrivals, while border restrictions are easing in Chile and Uruguay. Now is a good time to start stocking up on feather boas and sequins ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, which is set to kick off on February 25 2022.
Looking east, backpacker favourite Thailand has been removed from the red list. Arrival in Thailand comes with a mandatory quarantine, although the Phuket SandBox tourism scheme means British holidaymakers can visit without being placed under lock and key.
And in Africa we have the grand, long-awaited return of South Africa. The country is welcoming Britons, although proof of testing is still required – a small price to pay for the thrill of a safari in the Kruger or a tour of the vineyards of the Western Cape. Elsewhere, we see the return of safari favourites Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia, while the misty, gorilla-stomped mountains of Uganda and Rwanda have also opened up. All the above are open to Britons.
Apart from having to take a swab or two, and with the exception of a handful of countries still on the red list, the world is your oyster. Shuck it while you can.