A holiday in the sun could be on the cards – vaccine or not.
After the events of the last year, it’s hard to believe that summer is nearly upon us once again. [Featured Image: Boris Stroujko. Shutterstock].
Britain has laid out its roadmap for a (hopefully) sensible route out of lockdown, which will mean we may be able to enjoy a more “normal” existence this summer, with many looking forward to outdoor dining and staycations.
One aspect of summer that is still very much up in the air, as of now, is holidaying abroad – one of our favourite summer activities given the unreliable weather we tend to be blessed with. Policies on trips to foreign countries are likely to be confirmed closer to summer. Plus, they may likely depend on the vaccination programme status across Britain and the different destinations across the world.
However, good news for holidaymakers has come today. Turkey has confirmed they will be looking forward to British tourists over the summer, possibly even those with no proof of vaccination.
Mehmet Esroy, Tourism minister of Turkey, even said it was unlikely that tourists would need to produce a negative Covid test to enter the country.
Other European countries, such as Greece and Cyprus, have stated the need for travellers to be vaccinated. Mehmet Esroy, however, said Turkey would not ask for a vaccine passport from international travellers. He said that Turkey is “looking forward to welcoming British tourists with open arms”.
He added: “We have world-class border processes in place for ensuring travel will be low-risk throughout Turkey.”
“We are working with the British authorities to ensure these necessary processes are world-class and as up to date as possible… We will not require vaccination passports from international travellers when entering the country.”
Turkey will revaluate its policy that asks visitors for a negative PCR test within 72-hours of departure in April. There is no set date that holidaymakers can expect to be allowed to enter Turkey. In theory, it may simply be whenever the country lifts its ban on non-essential travel.
The UK is also currently barring travel for leisure, but this could be relaxed from May 17.
So, while we won’t start packing our factor 50 just yet, this is certainly promising news ahead of the summer.