Several countries have recently started introducing new measures to allow tourists to visit their country once again.
The news comes as Spain announced that all UK holidaymakers must provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test – taken within 72 hours before departure – when arriving in the country as of November 23, 2020.
While there is currently a travel ban in place for residents in England, putting a pause on all holidays until December 2, this is great news for the travel industry as hope finally seems to be on the horizon.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are currently mandatory to visit several countries at the moment, with tests costing around £150 per person.
Holidaymakers can receive their results within 24 hours of these tests (depending on the provider), and are more preferential than NHS ones as the result is often only a matter of hours old, giving airports a good idea of whether the passenger is likely to be positive for Covid-19.
However, with a potential ‘test-and-release’ scheme being introduced in England this winter, in an attempt to halve the current quarantine period, tourists could be expected to pay for departure tests as well as arrival tests – which ends up being pretty costly!
It’s worth knowing that the majority of travel insurance providers will not cover denied entry if tourists arrive at their destination without having completed the necessary entry requirements, including providing a negative Covid-19 test.
Therefore, we would recommend that anyone planning, or with, an upcoming trip checks the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office guidance and fully understands any entry requirements necessary for their destination.
