Ireland decided to lift 14 days quarantine period for UK holidaymakers

Ireland decided to lift 14 days quarantine period for UK holidaymakers

Ireland is set to announce this week that it will lift its 14 days quarantine for UK holidaymakers. The Irish tourist board is this week also expected to launch a multi-million pound marketing campaign to encourage visitors to the Emerald isle, Britain’s fifth biggest tourism market, this summer. All Britons currently arriving from the UK mainland are required to quarantine for 14 days on arrival in Ireland even though the two countries are part of the Common Travel area. Under the Irish Government’s plans to kick start summer travel, it will remove quarantine and tests allowing restriction-free travel between the UK mainland and Ireland.

Travelers returning to the UK will not face quarantine under the terms of the common travel agreement. Holidaymakers are also likely to avoid queues that travelers are expected to face returning from other European destinations, as they will not be required to provide passenger locator forms or documentation other than passport or driving licenses to cross the borders.  It gives Ireland a double advantage over other European destinations.  Before the pandemic Ireland attracted 4.79m British tourists in 2019, the fifth highest behind Spain, France, Italy and US.

Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: \"We know there is significant demand from British and other overseas visitors to return to Ireland as soon as possible.\"We are excited about the news that the [Irish] Government will make an announcement this week regarding summer travel, a move which would not only rekindle the close relations between our countries but also protect thousands of jobs and livelihoods across the travel sector.\" Since May 17, Covid restrictions on cross border journeys from north to southern Ireland have been lifted for travel originating in the province.

It is not clear when the date for the wider UK reopening will be set, but it is thought likely to be in time for summer holidays in July. Ireland will join Spain, Greece and Italy which are already accepting vaccinated Britons or those with negative tests. Croatia also announced yesterday that it was opening its Adriatic coast to holidaymakers. Spain received its first British visitors yesterday after allowing in holidaymakers without even a PCR test. The country’s tourist minister Fernando Valdes said he expected Spain to be added to the UK’s green list at the next review, due at the beginning of June.

At present, Spain, Greece, Italy and Croatia are all on the UK amber list, requiring travelers to quarantine on their return to the UK and take two PCR tests. Ministers have also warned the public against travelling to amber countries except for \"exceptional\" family or business reasons. Portugal and Gibraltar are the only two European destinations on the UK’s quarantine-free green list. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has suggested Europe is still six to eight weeks behind the UK - and holidaymakers may have to wait until then before there can be any significant reopening in Europe.