TOURISM minister Nigel Huddleston has warned holidaymakers trips abroad will be a challenge this summer and for many years ahead.
Speaking virtually to the World Travel and Tourism Summit in Cancun, Mexico, the MP said Brits would have to accept travel is going to be difficult as borders open up.
The government’s roadmap is looking to restart international travel on May 17 with the traffic light system allowing trips to destinations alongside testing and quarantine.
But Mr Huddleston warned: “Let’s be honest, it’s not going to be easy to travel or seamless to travel over the next few months and potentially years. But we want to make it as simple as possible.”
He claimed the government’s Global Travel Task Force is working with other governments to get global travel moving again.
But he rejected claims that Brexit had made opening up borders more difficult.
He said: “That is in the best interests of UK travellers and the UK economy. We want to work, and are working, very closely with our EU partners and indeed around the world.
“We want to work and are working very closely with our EU partners and indeed around the world.
"This is one of the myths of Brexit, we have left the EU but we are working incredibly closely with our European partners because it is in our mutual interest to do so.
“We are keeping in very close contact, particularly on technology developments, the system of vaccination certification and so on that are being developed across Europe.
“We want to work in partnership so we can enable travel.”
The UK government is to announce in the upcoming weeks which countries will be placed on the "green" list of the traffic light scheme.
The traffic light scheme will rank countries depending on the risk they pose to the UK, including their own vaccine rollout and Covid situation.
Only countries on the green list will be able to avoid quarantine – amber and red countries will have to home quarantine or quarantine at a hotel.
It is feared that just eight countries could initially be on the UK's green list, which would include Malta, Gibraltar, Iceland and Israel.
It could also include the US, Australia, and New Zealand – all of which are closed to Brits right now.
Turkey is one of the few countries who has said they will welcome Brits without the need for Covid passports proving they are vaccinated
Spain, Portugal and Cyprus have all said they will require proof of both jabs to allow Brits to enter without restritions.
It follows the announcement that Greece won't require Covid passports, and Brits will be able to just show their NHS vaccine card instead.
Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis told Sun Online Travel the country was happy to accept the paper handwritten card to avoid having to take a pricey PCR test to enter the Med holiday hotspot.
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