Holidays to Turkey could be given the go-ahead this week as the country's embassy in London is confident it will be removed from the UK's travel red list.
In a statement seen by Sky News, the embassy said: "The scientific data on COVID-19 support our expectation that Turkey will be removed from the red list at the upcoming review."
Turkey has been on the red list since May, which means the country has been essentially off-limits for UK holidaymakers. Under current rules, anybody entering England from Turkey must quarantine in a hotel for 10 days at a cost of £2,285 each.
The travel rules will be reviewed on Thursday August 26, and Turkey expects it will at least be moved to the amber list, which opens up the country for holidays, as anybody fully vaccinated can return to the UK without having to quarantine. Turkey will allow in passengers from the UK as long as they can present a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival.
The Mediterranean country is usually a popular tourist destination with holidaymakers from the North East of England, Newcastle International Airport has regular flights to Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman and Izmir.
Turkey's embassy cited Our World in Data figures which show its seven-day rolling average for Covid-19 cases was 232.46, compared to the UK's 464.76, as a reason why it should be removed from the no non-essential travel red list, while more than half of adults in Turkey have had two Covid-19 vaccines.
Paul Charles, from the PC Agency travel consultancy, told Sky News : "Turkey very much deserves to be on the amber list as it has some of the best COVID safety policies in place, especially in hotels and other tourist areas, and has worked hard to reduce its infection rates. Many agree it feels safer there than it does in the UK."
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