Paddy’s Day in Ireland? Not for us, say 60,000 Irish jetting off
AFTER two long years of being cooped up over Covid, travelloving Irish people are jetting off on breaks abroad in their droves.
A spokeswoman for Dublin Airport confirmed they expect to see up to 60,000 people flying in and out of its two terminals on peak days over the mid-term break. ‘For the St Patrick’s Day Holiday, we would expect to see numbers at 70,000 to 75,000 each day, but this may still fluctuate,’ she said. ‘While we are seeing passenger numbers increasing, we were still 53% down in January versus pre-Covid numbers for the month, but we expect numbers to steadily increase over the coming two months as we approach the start of the summer schedule.’
Irish Travel Agents Association president Paul Hackett also confirmed bookings are brisk, with sun holidays particularly popular, especially for the upcoming midterm break.
‘The mid-term is jammed already,’ he told the MoS.
‘People are still a bit slow about returning for city breaks, but again we expect this will change. There’s still good availability for Easter and good value to be
had.’ However, Mr
Hackett urged travellers to be mindful of remaining Covid restrictions in other jurisdictions, and said people should check the Department of Foreign Affairs website before they book and travel.
‘There may be a few more restrictions abroad than there are here at the moment but hopefully that will change soon,’ he added. And in recent days, restrictions have already begun to lift in many popular destinations across Europe. Portugal and Greece this week updated their entry requirements for fully vaccinated travellers, with changes coming into effect in time for the halfterm. Vaccinated tourists to Portugal will no longer need to provide a negative test result to enter, although unvaccinated passengers will still need one.
Greece has also dropped predeparture test requirements for fully vaccinated arrivals. However, as with most other EU states, it will require arrivals that have had their second jab more than 270 days ago to have had a booster. Nightclubs in France are set to reopen on Wednesday and patrons of bars will once again be able to stand at the counter, with sports events also opening up.
Morocco, a popular destination right now due to its warm climate, has also opened its borders to tourists for the first time in four months.
However, some important restrictions remain in place.
EU citizens travelling to Italy who were vaccinated more than six months ago have to complete a negative antigen test in the 48 hours prior to arrival – or 72 hours for a PCR test – to access the majority of services, including hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and leisure services. Croatia and Switzerland have similar requirements for entry to indoor venues if people have not been boosted.
Unvaccinated travellers to Germany face quarantine, even with a negative PCR test.