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Portugal to reopen to UK on 17 May for all Brits, not just vaccinated
I previously wrote about Portugal’s aspirations to reopen in time for when England potentially reopens for international travel on 17 May. More details were confirmed today when the country’s secretary of state for tourism, Rita Marques, spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday morning.
Marques re-iterated that the country hoped to welcome all British holidaymakers from 17 May. Obviously, this is dependent on the situation in Portugal, but currently their cases are dropping well.
The EU has also confirmed its “digital green pass” will also work with third countries, such as the UK, to ensure residents from non-EU countries can travel freely to the EU. The pass will be available in digital and paper form.
Marques said, “So British holidaymakers can present to the Portuguese authorities a certificate that advises they are vaccinated or that they have immunisation to the virus or that they have a negative test.”
She also said that Portugal would reopen to UK visitors with a combination of vaccination and certification, and testing.
“One of the basic principles we have adopted here since the beginning is that we cannot exclude anyone, including those who have not been vaccinated. The idea for those who have not been vaccinated is to allow them to get in and have their holidays here in Portugal if they test negative or they have an immunisation certificate that means they have been in contact with the virus before [and recovered].”
This is good news all round and puts Portugal in the lead for getting early tourism from the UK. Spain and Greece have also said that they hope to open up to all British tourists from May.
British Airways live event
I mentioned the Virgin Atlantic quiz last week where you can win a pair of Upper Class tickets. Now British Airways is jumping on the bandwagon and holding their own event on 25 March, albeit at a different time to the Virgin event.
On Thursday 25th March BA will be holding a virtual travel talk show, High Life Live, which will celebrate the nation’s love of all things travel. Hosted by comedian Sandi Toksvig (The Great British Bake Off) and introduced by BA’s chief executive Sean Doyle, the event will feature an illustrious travel panel including BBC world affairs editor John Simpson, TV and podcast host Kellee Edwards, blind adventurer and Celebrity Masterchef star Amar Latif and top chef Toni Toivanen, whose pop up restaurant opens in London this summer.
You can also ask the panel questions during the show.
Unlike Virgin there is currently no prize as yet, however there is talk of some sort of discount for those that attend.
Tickets are free and available from Eventbrite here.
Pre-departure testing at Heathrow for Singapore airlines
While most of us are unlikely to fly Singapore Airlines any time soon, the details of this are encouraging for travellers. Firstly the price of £99 with a 36 hour turn around is good value. Hopefully, with more and more companies clamouring for business as travel relaunches, prices will head downwards and testing times will get shorter. Also, the integration of a testing provider with an airline is also interesting. This means that it makes travel less stressful as you know that the test will be accepted by the airline and authorities. Hopefully, more of this follows as health passports get up and running with more information available in digital formats.
Today, Singapore Airlines customers departing from the UK will be able to book their pre-departure Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) via a dedicated online booking portal, operated by Collinson – a global leader in the provision of traveller experiences, including medical assistance.
The expansion sees the UK become the fourth Singapore Airlines market to benefit from accessing 36-hour turn-around pre-departure tests, as part of an ongoing pilot, in partnership with Collinson, for customers based in Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
With pre-departure testing now a mandatory and frequently evolving requirement for many countries, this new service makes it easier for Singapore Airlines’ UK customers to obtain and demonstrate the correct testing documentation required for their travel journey.
Customers will be directed to book their pre-departure test securely and seamlessly via Collinson’s online booking portal after making their flight bookings. Collinson is the leading private sector testing provider in the UK, with dedicated and accredited medical facilities located across six major airports, including London Heathrow, Manchester, Luton, Stansted, London City and East-Midlands. In addition, a testing facility is available at the 02 Arena. Tests are priced at £99 for the RT-PCR swab test.
Within 36 hours, customers will receive their test results through the same secure portal, which will then generate a digital certificate and a QR code that is to be presented to airport staff upon check-in. Passengers are also able to print out their results to present to airport staff.
The link for customers to access the portal will be featured across the Singapore Airlines website and SingaporeAir mobile app, as well as being included in customers’ booking confirmation and pre-departure emails. When customers have booked travel via travel agency partners, they will need to book their pre-departure testing packages independently and may be provided the link via their agency, or can find it directly on the Singapore Airlines website or app.
Todd Handcock, President, Asia Pacific, Collinson said: “Testing remains crucial to reopening global borders, restoring confidence in travellers and getting the world travelling safely again. This new pre-departure testing service for Singapore Airlines’ UK passengers is an extension of our partnership, which saw the testing service launch in Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong in recent months. Our goal is to provide airlines with the support they need to help passengers test with ease and reach their destination as easily and safely as possible. The travel industry is inextricably linked to economic progression and we are dedicated to helping the industry get back on its feet. Continuing to implement robust testing protocols is key to long-term stability.”
Last week, Collinson was announced as the first private sector testing provider in the UK to offer the mandatory Covid-19 tests required for all arrivals into the UK.
