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BBC Newsnight: Travel boss calls for vaccinated travellers to be treated ‘differently’ | UK | News


Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), said the Government should look to ease some restrictions for travellers who have been fully vaccinated. Asked whether travel agents could afford to not have the summer they were planning, Mr Petherbridge said the Government should provide a “tailored package of financial support” to help travel businesses hard hit by the pandemic.

One of the measures Mr Petherbridge suggested to help boost the industry is a relaxation of testing requirements for passengers travelling to low-risk destinations.

He told BBC Newsnight: ”We need to see steps to treat those who have been fully vaccinated differently from those who haven’t.

“We need to see the relaxation of some of the testing requirements for low risk travel areas.

“And we need the Government to concentrate on getting more countries onto that green list.”

Britons who recently travelled to Portugal expressed their fury at the decision to move the popular destination to the amber list.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Government was “going to try to allow people to travel”.

He added: “But we’ve got to be cautious and we’ve got to continue to put countries on the red list, on the amber list, when that is necessary.”

Mr Johnson said ministers will “have no hesitation in moving countries from the green list to the amber list to the red list, if we have to do so”.

British holidaymakers in Lisbon have called the move “unfair”.

John Joyce, 44-year-old from Newcastle, and his family booked a trip to Portugal when the nation was first placed on the green list.

Mr Joyce told the Daily Mail: “Everybody needed a little break… a change from being stuck at home.”

He added: “It’s a bit unfair. There are families bringing out kids and people who booked their holidays already…and the stress involved for people, including myself.”

Charlotte Cheddle, a 22-year-old from England, urged the Government to either “ban international travel completely or communicate properly with people”.





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