Portugal becomes the first country to ignore Brexit and fast-track UK tourists

Portugal becomes the first country to ignore Brexit and fast-track UK tourists

Portugal has started presto-tracking UK trippers at its airfields, allowing Brits to avoid long ranges when they enter the country.

 By opening its gates to British trippers, Portugal is transferring a communication that it doesn't intend to prioritize EU excursionists at the border, defying Brexit rules in the process.

 Since 31 January 2020, new trip rules have been in place as the UK is no longer part of the European Union. The main reservation is that British passports must be checked manually, rather than electronically, meaning longer ranges.

 But at this month’s World Travel and Tourism Council’s peak in the Philippines, it was revealed that passports-lanes for Brits had been set up in airfields in Faro, Lisbon, and Porto in landmass Portugal, and at Funchal in Madeira.

British trippers made up the maturity of overseas callers to Portugal in January and February this time, reserving nearly hostel overnights over the two months, according to the Telegraph. The electronic gates are allowed to be available to callers from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Japan too.

 This should “give increased availability for our valued British trippers, as we head into the busy summer period,” Luis Araujo, the chairman of Turismo de Portugal, told The Telegraph.

"We are pleased to have made a trip to Portugal indeed more flawless for those suitable to make the utmost of the new gates."

 Trip sapience expert Paul Charles added that this could lead to a domino effect with other countries.

Portugal is the first country to abandon the EU’s Brexit rules of homemade checks for UK citizens. Other countries that depend on UK excursionists, like Spain and France, may follow suit to boost their inbound trip figures.