UK holidaymakers will be able to travel to Spain, France and Greece this summer without being forced to quarantine on their return.
From July 6 travel rules will be relaxed and a series of “air corridors” will be established with a number of countries, the BBC reported, giving Britons the opportunity for a summer holiday abroad.
Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Turkey, Germany and Norway are also expected to feature. The Government will announce the full list next week.
However, it is thought Portugal and Sweden will not be included because of the countries’ current high rate of coronavirus infections.
The announcement will come as welcome news to travel industry bosses, who criticised the Government earlier this month after a 14-day quarantine period was introduced for anyone returning to the UK.
In a statement to the BBC, travel industry group ABTA described the relaxation of quarantine rules as "encouraging".
"Confirmation of the list of countries is eagerly anticipated by the travel industry, and should encourage customers to book," it said.”
“The blanket Foreign Office advice against all but essential travel is still a major impediment to travel, however, and we look forward to the government adopting a similar risk-based approach to that advice."
A Government spokesman said: "Our public health measures at the border were put in place to manage the risk of imported cases and help prevent a second wave of the virus, and will continue to support our fight against coronavirus," said a government spokesman.
"Our new risk-assessment system will enable us to carefully open a number of safe travel routes around the world - giving people the opportunity for a summer holiday abroad and boosting the UK economy through tourism and business.
"But we will not hesitate to put on the brakes if any risks re-emerge, and this system will enable us to take swift action to re-introduce self-isolation measures if new outbreaks occur overseas."
