7 October 2021 – Andrew Flintham, Managing Director for TUI UK:

“We welcome the changes to the red list announced today and the opening up of more popular destinations to UK holidaymakers.  It’s another positive step forward and will help boost customer confidence. We’re already seeing strong demand for winter sun in the Canary Islands, Spain and Egypt and we know our customers will be particularly delighted to be able to return to more destinations.

“That said, we urgently need the UK Government to confirm when the changes to testing will come into force enabling double vaccinated travellers to take lateral flow tests on return to the UK instead of more expensive PCR tests.  October half term is just two weeks away and families want to plan for their much-needed holidays with surety and clarity.  We need to maintain momentum and get these changes in place quickly.  And we hope they will be a stepping stone towards removing all testing for the fully vaccinated in the near future.”