ABTA has launched an FCO-exempt countries guide and customer information leaflet to help members guide their customers about what to expect from their holidays in an ever-changing environment.
As travel regulations and entry restrictions of countries continue to change dynamically, ABTA?s new resources are designed to help its members and their customers understand the latest travel advice from the FCO. The guide illustrates mandatory COVID-19 entry requirements of different countries, health checks and quarantine rules that are not present in FCO?s global advisory.
Created as an easy-to-understand booklet for often-confusing scenarios, the guide details the countries in an alphabetical order, uses six different icons to illustrate the mandatory destination entry restrictions, and sets out clearly whether travellers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempt from quarantine on their return to the UK. The six icons indicate whether British nationals are currently permitted to enter that country, whether a negative COVID-19 test is required on entry, what quarantine rules and booking information are required on arrival, any transit rules regarding connecting flights, and other restrictions to consider, such as the rules regarding face coverings and closed borders between neighbouring countries.
Developed by ABTA?s Destinations team, the FCO?s exempt countries guide will be updated on a regular basis, to reflect the mandatory COVID-19 related changes to travel advice, with the addition or removal of new countries, as per the latest advice from the FCO. ABTA also advises members to refer to the FCO travel advice, destination and UK border control requirements, as their primary source of current and specific travel advice. There is also a customer-focused leaflet which ABTA members are encouraged to share with their customers. The leaflet can also be embedded into e-tickets.
Angela Hills, ABTA?s head of destinations, said, ?In these unique circumstances, it is important to continue to support our members with the required resources, to guide them and their customers through the changing travel experience. The varying rules, regulations and restrictions for overseas destinations can seem quite complicated, and we hope that these new tools will help our members answer customer?s questions, so that they book with confidence and look forward to their holidays.?
The FCO exempt countries guide is a free resource for all ABTA members and is hosted in the Member Zone at www.abta.com/fco-exempt-countries.
Image credit: Jan Vasek/Pixabay
