ABTA and Airlines UK have written to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) on the need for clarity around the future approach to Foreign Travel Advice.

In their joint letter to Nigel Adams, minister of state, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the travel bodies say it is critically important that the government reinstate the islands policy that was in place last summer.

They also argued that careful consideration should be given to how this can be built upon, with further regionalisation of advice within mainland areas where health data can be relied upon.

Infection rates can vary between mainland and islands.

When international travel reopened last year, the government removed its advice against all but essential travel to some islands when it was still in place for the mainland; for example, the advice was lifted for the Canary Islands but still in place for mainland Spain.

This allowed for a risk-managed approach to overseas travel, and the bodies argue the same process should be adopted as we look ahead to restarting travel this year.

They also say that a similar approach needs to be taken for countries with large land mass where regional health data is available.

Previously, advice against all but essential travel for Covid-19 applied to whole countries.

This meant that the government was advising against all but essential travel to countries such as the US, despite there being significant variation in infection rates across states.

Adopting a more sophisticated approach to the advice, which applies a regional assessment of risk, would be more pragmatic and help to support vital trade links, such transatlantic connectivity with the US and Canada.

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA, said: “Protecting public health must be the main priority for the government which is why a risk managed approach to returning to international travel is really important.

“Reintroducing the islands policy and adopting a regional approach to travel advice for large countries, which is informed by the health data around infection and vaccination rates, is a risk-based and pragmatic way of opening up international travel.

“It would help to enable the safe return of travel to more destinations while continuing to manage the risk to individuals.”

Image: Armando Jorge Mota Ribeiro