After nearly four months of lockdown, many Brits eagerly received the news of easing travel restrictions. Last updated on the 10th July, GOV.UK outlined a list of 75 countries Brits could travel to without having to self-isolate on return to the UK.  The countries listed will form an ‘air-bridge’ to the UK, freeing Brits from quarantine on arrival home.

This list has received much coverage and criticism over recent days.  Portugal reacted in anger as Westminster deemed the country unsafe for Brits to visit.  With non-essential travel discouraged, travel insurance is invalid and access to the British embassy may be difficult.  Only the Azores and Madeira have been marked as ‘no longer presenting an unacceptably high risk to British people travelling abroad.’  Yet, travellers returning from all of these regions will have to quarantine for 14 days.

Ordinarily, UK tourists make up a large part of Portugal’s tourism industry. In 2019 alone, around 2.5 million Brits visited Portugal, and according to Trading Economics, tourism accounts for 10% of Portugal’s GNP. Therefore, discouraging travel to Portugal will be a major knock to the country’s economy.

Westminster’s decision to omit Portugal comes after the country saw an increase in domestic cases of COVID-19.  In Europe, Portugal’s rise in cases per 100,000 inhabitants is second only to that of Sweden according to the EU’s disease control centre. The UK is not alone in expressing its concerns; several other European countries such as Austria and Denmark have also imposed restrictions on travelling to Portugal.

However, officials in Portugal feel the sanctions against their country are unjust and explain the high number of cases are due to a rise in testing.  According to statistics from Worldometer, Portugal had conducted 124,699 tests per million inhabitants, as of the 9th July.  In contrast, the UK conducted 162,625 tests per million inhabitants.

Antonio Pira, a mayor from popular tourist-region the Algarve, has spoken out in frustration at the UK’s decision.  He highlights how Portugal is prepared for travellers, with a range of safety measures instigated, including increased sanitation and compulsory masks.  Portugal’s foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva has also tweeted his irritation.  He suggests Portugal’s exclusion from the UK’s quarantine-free list is ‘absurd,’ especially as the UK has 28 times more cases than Portugal.

In recent news, the UK’S foreign minister Dominic Raab has been in conference with Portugal’s foreign minister about its exclusion, although no changes to the list have yet been made.

For more information on travelling safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, please refer to GOV.UK travel advice.

For more articles on the impact of COVID-19 on travel, check out the following articles:

Effects of COVID-19 on Tourism

How COVID-19’s Travel Restrictions Have Triggered a Revival of Natural Landscapes

Wildlife Conservations Threatened By Decline in Tourism

Year Abroads Cancelled Over COVID-19 Threat