Hospitality welcomes easing of travel restrictions in England and Scotland

The UK government’s confirmation yesterday that vaccinated travellers to England and Scotland will no longer be required to test on arrival has been welcomed by UKHospitality.

All testing measures for fully vaccinated travellers will be removed from 4am on 11 February. Travellers will still need to fill out a passenger locator form (PLF), which will be simplified, and people will have an extra day to fill it out before travelling.

Individuals who are not fully vaccinated will need to take a pre-departure test and a PCR test on or before day two after they arrive in the UK, as well as filling out the PLF. They will not need to self-isolate on arrival unless they test positive.

Although there are no countries on it at this point, the UK government said the ‘red list’ of countries will remain in place should future variants of concern emerge abroad.

Wales and Northern Ireland have not yet confirmed if they will follow suit in easing travel restrictions.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “This is a sensible and pragmatic step towards normality, given the encouraging fall in cases, the general easing of restrictions and given the UK’s position as a leading destination for international tourists and as a major business and commerce hub.

“This is a very welcome shot in the arm for hotels and tourism-reliant businesses, as we learn to live with the virus. It will deliver much-needed confidence for international travellers destined for the UK. Our hospitality and tourism industries have endured extremely challenging times and our hope is that this marks the start of a more benign phase for both society and business.”

Joss Croft, chief executive of UKinbound, added that the announcement was “warmly welcomed” and a “huge relief” to the tourism industry, adding inbound tourism businesses could “start trading their way to recovery”.

He added: “Additionally, we hope to see the aligning of international restrictions across all four nations in the coming days. International visitors often visit more than one country when here in the UK, which is why a four nations approach to re-opening is very important.

“However, we can’t be complacent. The UK’s inbound tourism industry has been decimated for almost two years and we are not out of the woods yet. Inbound tourism businesses are counting the cost of survival with rising debt and staffing issues. To bolster recovery, we need the government to put in place targeted support which will bolster demand and encourage international visitors to spend their money on a holiday to the UK, rather than elsewhere.”

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