Islands in the Caribbean and Mediterranean will be added to the green list, according to an expert with an uncanny knack for predicting travel categorisations.
Paul Charles, chief executive of the PC Agency travel consultancy, has revealed the eight countries he believes will be turned from amber to green when the government reviews the traffic light system later this week.
The travel analyst has a good track record when it comes to predicting which countries the UK will allow quarantine-free travel to.
He predicted in April that “pretty well all of Europe” would be categorised amber when the international travel ban was lifted on May 17, while noting Portugal and Gibraltar as exceptions.
It’s believed officials are hoping to announce the first update this Thursday to take effect on Monday June 7.
They hope Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will confirm the update at a 5pm press conference - but that could slip.
Ahead of the update, whenever it comes, Mr Charles has announced the eight countries he thinks will make the list.
It should be noted that not even Mr Shapps knows how the list will change until a few hours before the announcement, as it is decided by the Joint Biosecurity centre.
They look at a variety of factors including variants in the country, coronavirus case and vaccine rates, how good that country is at genomic sequencing and how good the overall data in the country is.
Mr Charles' analysis focuses on two of these factors - coronavirus case and vaccination rates.
Brits can travel from the UK to green list nations and back again and not have to quarantine, making it a major pull for those without unlimited days to take off work.
However, Brits arriving home from green list countries must still take two Covid tests - one before they catch their return flight, and the other on Day 2 after arrival.
Canary Islands
After months of lockdown and a miserable May, spending a week on a volcanic archipelago while basking in glorious sunshine sounds like a good idea.
While the Canary Islands are currently categorised as amber, their figures are very similar to green list country Portugal.
According to PC Agency data, it has a case rate of 38.4 per 100,000 people and 37.4 per cent of its population vaccinated once.
This compares to 35.5 per cent of people jabbed and 25.7 cases per 100,000 people in Portugal.
Finland
Not one of the most well trod holiday destinations but a cultural hotspot on the eastern edge of Scandinavia, maybe now is the time to get that heavy knit jumper out of the cupboard and head to Helsinki.
At the moment 42.3 per cent of its population has been jabbed and its coronavirus rate is 25/100,000.
Balearic Islands
If those one goes green it will be a huge boost for British travellers.
Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and the many smaller islands dotted in-between are bound to be a huge draw for those wanting some kind of release.
It's understood the government wants to separate out the biggest island hotspots from their host territories in future updates, so the Balearics could get the green light ahead of Spain.
At the moment Spain has a jab rate of 36.8 per cent and a coronavirus rate of 72.8/100,000 compared to 13.1 and 18/100,000 for the Balearics.
Barbados
Perhaps the ultimate iteration of sun, sea and sand, this amber list country looks ripe to be turned green.
At the moment its vaccination rate is middling at 26.6 per cent, but only 7.3 cases of coronavirus are being recorded per 100,000 people.
If Barbados goes green then it may well be time to invest in a new pair of flipflops.
Malta
This small Mediterranean archipelago is another favoured holiday destination which looks set to be turned green.
It has a sky-high vaccination rate of 70 per cent and a coronavirus rate of 5.1/100,000, which are significantly better figures than many countries currently on the green list.
Morocco
If the PC Agency's analysis is right, then Morocco will also be turned green.
While a lot of the places that may be added offered unrivalled beaches and blue seas, Morocco has both the stunning resorts and sprawling historical cities to intrigue incomers.
With a 22.1 per cent jab rate and 2.9/100,000 coronavirus cases, it also has good figures.
Grenada
One of the few countries in the world that has a coronavirus case rate of 0/100,000.
This small West Indies island has a population of just over 100,000 but an awful lot to offer in the form of glorious beaches.
It has a vaccination rate of 12.2/100,000.
