Angry industry bosses last night demanded Boris Johnson review his “ridiculous” Covid travel traffic light system – and do it by the end of this month.
They are furious the Government has put only 12 countries on its green list and insist many other destinations are safe enough to be included.
And they say charging people to pay for costly Covid tests before they travel to and return from green-listed countries should be axed.
Fares to the few approved countries are already rising rapidly.
But, as the tourism industry warned the Prime Minister is pricing most sun-starved Brits out of a holiday, health experts yesterday said no foreign trips will really be safe until the autumn.
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Chris Rowles of the Association of Independent Tour Operators branded the traffic light system “a damp squib”.
He said: “This creates still more uncertainty – despite the UK’s stunning vaccination delivery. With 35 million people now vaccinated, we are still very largely confined to the UK.
“And the fact travellers will still have to have tests when vaccinated is ridiculous. Fares are already rising dramatically. Once you add the test costs, travel really will be only for the rich and not the masses.”
Under the traffic light system, countries are ranked green, amber or red, depending on how safe the Government deems them.
Portugal, Israel and Gibraltar made it onto the green list, announced by Number 10 on Friday.
But anyone travelling to them must take Covid tests before they fly from and back to the UK and another two days after they land.
Some of the tests must be PCR tests, which cost an average of £120 each, according to Which? That means a family of four could face a testing bill of at least £960 on top of the cost of their holiday.
Anyone who doesn’t follow the testing rules will face a £4,000 fine.
Traditional hotspots like Spain, France, Italy and Greece have been ranked amber – meaning travellers must take tests and isolate on their return to the UK.
Turkey is on the red list, meaning anybody who goes there will have to take tests and quarantine in a hotel for 10 days at their own expense, when they get back to the UK.
Paul Charles of the PC Agency travel consultancy said: “There are so many more safe countries out there which could have been added to the green category.
“The Government needs to update the traffic lights before the end of May and remove the onerous testing requirements so those returning from a green country don’t have extra costs.”
News that Portugal had made the green list sparked a scramble among airlines to schedule more flights to the country.
BA is adding extra jets from London, Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Tui will increase flights from Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol.
But hours before the ban on international travel was lifted, BA was charging £530 for a flight from Heathrow to the Algarve on May 17. Two days earlier the same journey was priced at £234.
Meanwhile, a Ryanair flight from Stansted to Lisbon that cost £15 on May 15 soared to £152 on May 17.
Online travel firm Thomas Cook said bookings for holidays in Portugal were 250 per cent up on a week earlier, while those for Gibraltar had doubled.
A spokesman said: “People are so happy they can finally shift from dreaming about holidays to starting to plan and take them.”
But health advisers yesterday crushed many travel dreams, by declaring no foreign holidays will be safe until all adults have been fully vaccinated.
Research by Independent SAGE shows everyone over the age of 18 in England should have received their second jab by September. Until then, they say Brits should avoid overseas holidays – even in green list countries – in case they are infected with new variants.
Professor Christina Pagel, of University College London, said: “We don’t know where the next dangerous variant is coming from. They will keep popping up and international travel is a massive risk until we have finished vaccinating.”
Public Health England has now raised the threat level of one version of Indian Covid to “a variant of concern” after 48 clusters were found in Britain.
Sage’s Dr Zubaida Haque called for consistency, saying: “We have quarantine for some people and not others. Everyone should be quarantined, regardless of which country they are coming from.”
In another blow to holidaymakers, it is estimated more than half a billion pounds is still owed to those who had to cancel trips last year because of Covid.
The sum covers refunds and credit vouchers for package deals and flights cancelled during the first lockdown.
Package deal customers are legally entitled to a full refund within 14 days. But many were offered credit vouchers instead towards future trips.
Travel companies used the cash they had been paid to cover their overheads and pay down loans as lockdown hammered the tourism sector.
Martyn James, of complaints handling site Resolver, said more than a half a billion pounds is still outstanding, with customers owed an average £600 each.
He said: “We’ve had well over 150,0000 travel complaints in the past year – and that’s the tip of the iceberg. There are loads of refunds outstanding. The vast majority of holiday payments have been rolled over into vouchers.
“The problem with vouchers is that many firms aren’t allowing people to cash them in if they can’t travel.
“Many people are going to get a nasty surprise if they decide not to take another holiday or the vouchers expire.”
Consumer watchdogs urged holidaymakers to book only with firms that guarantee money back in the event of Covid disruption and promise refunds in the event of cancellations.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, warned: “Some holiday providers have suggested they will break the law on refunds again. So it’s crucial holidaymakers do their research before handing their money over this summer.”
The rules and where you can go
GREEN LIST
Twelve countries including Portugal, Israel, Iceland and Australia.
Each country sets its entry requirements so the type of test you need before flying will vary.
You need a Covid test before flying home, but this can be a lateral flow test, which is free in some countries.
There is no quarantine on arrival in the UK, but you must take a PCR test two days later.
AMBER LIST
Includes France, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Italy and the USA.
Each country sets its own entry requirements, so the type of test you need before flying will vary.
Travellers should take PCR tests on day two and day eight after their return.
Arrivals must self isolate for 10 days upon arrival but this can be done at home.
RED LIST
Includes Turkey, UAE, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Qatar and the Seychelles.
You must have PCR tests on days two and eight after returning to the UK.
And you will have to pay £1,750 for a 10-day quarantine in a hotel designated by the Government.
