Holiday firm On the Beach has said that it won't be taking new bookings for holidays in June, July and August, due to most countries being on the UK government's amber and red lists.
The travel company won't be selling new holidays up to August 31, although it will honour any existing bookings for the summer. Customers who already have a holiday booked will be offered options including still going on holiday, amending their trip, or getting a full refund if their holiday is cancelled.
The decision came after the UK government unveiled its green list, which left sun-starved Brits disappointed with only 12 countries and territories featuring. On top of that, the majority aren't currently open to Brits or tourists in general, with only Portugal, Madeira and Iceland being potential options.
The majority of countries were on the amber list - and the Foreign Office continues to advise against non-essential travel to these destinations which includes traditional summer hotspots such as France, Greece and Spain.
Amber list destinations also require Brits to self-isolate at home for 10 days when they're back in the UK, as well as needing to take a PCR test on days two and eight of their isolation. (There is an option to take a test on day five, and be released early if the result is negative).
That hasn't stopped thousands of Brits from flocking to Spain this week when the country reopened its borders - but it's worth noting that there are risks to heading to an amber destination, including your travel insurance being invalidated. (We've got a wider guide to amber list travel rules to give you a helping hand).
On the Beach made the decision following customer feedback, which revealed that 85% of its customers don't want to book a holiday to an amber or red destination because there's no guarantee these would become green in time for their trip.
Simon Cooper, On the Beach CEO, added that another key factor was that "there is too much uncertainty for us to take new bookings with confidence that they will go ahead, or for us to know the potential inconvenience and incremental costs of taking holidays to either current Green or Amber destinations".
He later added: "We are committed to putting the interests of consumers first, and in doing so, doing the right thing for the travel industry and our suppliers too."
The policy is a temporary one, which will be reviewed when the government makes its next announcement regarding new additions to the green list for summer - this is currently expected to take place on June 7.
What do you think of On the Beach's decision to stop selling holidays for the summer? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
