Following todays announcement by the UK government which ends quarantine restrictions for visitors returning to the UK from a range of destinations, the response has been largely positive from tourism boards.
Tolene van der Merwe, director of UK & Ireland for Malta Tourism Authority commented, ?We are delighted that the UK government has included Malta on the travel exemption quarantine list. Malta?s handling of the pandemic has been praised by WHO and The Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral Patricia Scotland who remarked that Malta has ?done the best in the whole of Europe? and resident and traveller safety is our priority."
Malta's borders will reopen to UK travellers from July 15 with no quarantine restrictions on arrival. The first post-lockdown flight from the UK to Malta is scheduled to land on July 16.
"Thermal testing will be in place at entry points including the airport to ensure the residents and travellers are safe. Our inclusion on the travel exemption quarantine list gives confidence to British visitors to return to our shores this summer to enjoy all that Malta, Gozo and Comino has to offer," said Ms van der Merwe. "Over 650,000 British visitors came to our islands in 2019 and we are looking forward to welcoming many back to enjoy our incredible culture, gastronomy, soft adventure and love of the good life. We are prepared for travellers to return as we are implementing many protocols to ensure that they are safely protected but also have a wonderfully relaxing break on the Maltese Islands.?
Italy, which has been welcoming visitors from the UK since June 3, has welcomed the news as a boon for inbound tourism from Britain.
Maria Elena Rossi, director of marketing and promotions for the Italian Tourist Board said, ?I am delighted that the UK government has announced that passengers returning or visiting England from Italy will no longer be required to self-isolate from the 10 July. Italy?s borders have been open to British visitors from 3 June with no quarantine restrictions on arrival into Italy however the quarantine on return into Britain will not have encouraged many visitors to book. Now that we have a reciprocal agreement in place we are confident that British visitors will want to come back to Italy for the summer to experience our wonderful culture, food and wine and beautiful countryside.
Cherrie Osborne, director of UK & Europe for Antigua said she is "thrilled" that the UK government has included Antigua and Barbuda in the travel exemption quarantine list. The first flight from the UK is scheduled for August 1.
Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism for Jamaica said, ?We?re delighted that the UK government has confirmed that passengers returning or visiting England from Jamaica will not need to self-isolate. Jamaica has implemented robust health protocols for arrivals to ensure the wellbeing of all visitors including testing on arrival. As one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean with over 225,000 Brits visiting each year, we look forward to welcoming them back on the first British Airways flight from the UK into Kingston on 20 July.?
Sigr??ur D?gg Gu?mundsd?ttir, head of Visit Iceland said, ?Iceland has been welcoming visitors from all EU and Schengen countries and we are delighted to be on the list so that we can welcome UK visitors once again."
People arriving in Iceland will have the option of taking a test at the border, with results received quickly.
The Taiwan Tourism Bureau released the following statement: ?We?re delighted that the UK government has confirmed that passengers returning or visiting England from Taiwan will not need to self-isolate. Our international borders currently remain closed as we work with our tourism partners in Taiwan to implement robust health protocols for arrivals and to ensure the wellbeing of all visitors. With over 71,000 Brits visiting each year, we look forward to welcoming them back in the near future.?
