Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE’LL SEE YOU IN JUNE
Spain hol chief’s message... as Northern Ireland starts to ease out of lockdown
WE could be holidaying on the Costas by June after a tourism minister said Spain is finally ready to have visitors again.
Fernando Valdes (right) said the UK jab roll-out has helped pave the way for a return to breaks in Europe.
He added: “Spain is very eager to welcome back Britons in summer.”
It comes as Northern Ireland moves out of lockdown with many restrictions eased from today.
EUROPE opening its borders to tourists will be a ray of sunshine for millions of Covid-weary Brits who have been denied a foreign holiday for months.
The move means people could be heading to the Costas and other hotspots by June – if they have a vaccine passport.
Whitehall sources confirmed the Government is planning to bring in its own coronavirus travel certificate next month ahead of foreign travel restarting on May 17.
It came as landmark research shows vaccines are likely to be good enough to control Covid.
More than 33 million people in the UK have had their first dose of a jab while more than 10 million have had both.
The June opening could spark a rush for vaccines among younger Brits who may miss out otherwise.
But there were warnings the cost of holidays may soar by up to £500 to offset the costs of making holiday destinations Covid-safe.
Spain’s tourism minister Fernando Valdes told how the country was “desperate” to have British tourists back at its popular resorts, that have been badly hit financially by pandemic closures.
He said: “I think we will be ready here in Spain. We also think that the vaccination scheme in the UK is going pretty well, so hopefully we’ll be seeing this summer the restart of holidays.
“Spain is very eager to welcome back Britons this summer after an extended period. The UK is our number one market. We have missed our British visitors dearly and we are very hopeful to welcome them back soon. We feel vaccine certifi- I PASSED cates will help boost tourism and again raise hopes for summer holidays on Spanish shores.
“We are ready to receive visitors with protocols, measures and advice in place to ensure their safety during their visit.
“Our tourism sector has been working intensely behind the scenes to prepare for a recovery. We know British visitors are vital for many tourism-reliant areas and we share a long and successful tourism history with the UK.
“We hope by early May the UK will clarify the date for restart and that all of Spain will be under the minimum travel restrictions.”
Mr Valdes insisted Spain is “pushing hard” to persuade the European Commission to reach agreements to reopen travel between “third parties such as the UK” as well as member states.
He added: “If we reach these kind of agreements from the month of June, we will be able to have a summer. Probably not as the one we had in 2019, but the restart of tourism again.”
EU officials are planning to update entry recommendations to the bloc meaning travellers from countries with Covid passport systems and higher vaccination rates could be allowed in.
Virus certificates are expected to exempt tourists from a blanket entry ban – though they may still
be subject to curbs when they return to Britain. The passports could come in a digital form if the Government can develop it in time.
The Department for Transport said: “We are working on a solution to enable residents to prove their Covid-19 status.”
Holidaymakers would still be subject to restrictions, including testing and quarantine, when they return home depending on the traffic-light status of their holiday destination. Ministers are expected to
announce a “cautious” list of “very safe” countries on the first green list shortly.
But the Transport Select Committee warned the restart of travel is in jeopardy, with “vague and costly” proposals not enough to reboot aviation and tourism. It said requirements for its safe return could be “disproportionate to the risk”, and may add £500 to the cost of a
family holiday. Data from 1.6 million UK swab tests shows jabs stop symptoms developing and cut transmission.
Oxford University found one dose of Pfizer or Astrazeneca led to a two-thirds drop in cases and was 74% effective against symptomatic infection. After two Pfizer doses, there was a 90% drop in cases with symptoms. The
European Commission is planning a Europe-wide vaccine passport for its citizens by the end of June.
Driving tests resumed in England and Wales yesterday, with centres booked up until August. Jade Bone, 24, of Southampton, was among those taking them. She passed.
Cases of rare blood clots among the millions of Brits who have had the Oxford vaccine have risen to 168.
We have missed our British visitors dearly FERNANDO VALDES TOURISM MINISTER