ONE of the UK’s biggest-selling newspapers splashed on plans for vaccinated Britons to head to Bahrain instead of sunny Spain ... and the kingdom’s pandemic-stricken hospitality sector will welcome them with open arms.
Those seeking quarantine-free holidays will have to make travel choices under new rules, the tabloid reported.
Sluggish jab rates and Covid variants have dashed hopes of a European getaway this summer, it said.
The Sun boasts an average daily circulation of 1.2 million and the national daily’s front page coverage was mirrored by other media outlets highlighting that a limited number of foreign destinations could be opened to British travellers next month as part of a summer holiday traffic system.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce plans shortly to ease overseas travel curbs that could see holidaymakers travel to ‘green-listed nations’ that have a high vaccination rate.
Reports suggest Bahrain could be on the ‘green list’. The kingdom is among the top five countries globally when it comes to vaccination rates – with more than half a million residents receiving their first shot and more than a quarter of a million having received a second dose.
The UK plan will see countries graded either green, amber or red according to how well they are coping with the pandemic.
British nationals returning from green countries would be exempted from quarantine, however, they may have to undergo a Covid-19 PCR test at their own cost.
Travellers returning from countries listed under amber would have to isolate for 10 days after arrival, and only get out after five days with a negative test paid by them.
Banned
Travel to and from red-list countries would be banned, and The Sun said anyone arriving back in the UK from such destinations would have to pay to stay at special ‘quarantine hotels’.
Industry experts in Bahrain said they were ready to welcome British holidaymakers next month, which is also when the kingdom’s tourism artery – the King Fahad Causeway – is expected to open by May 17.
“This will no doubt bring a significant change in travel trends,” the Association of Bahrain Travel and Tour Agents chairman Jehad Amin told the GDN yesterday.
“Family reunions will become a priority as people have been staying apart for such a long time, while on the other hand, work-from-home trend will increase the demand for longer vacations.”
Mr Amin said vaccination is the way out for the travel industry and the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions segment.
“Team Bahrain has managed the pandemic quite well and positioned the kingdom among the group of high vaccination nations that would hopefully reflect positively on the tourism sector in the near future” added Mr Amin.
Similar views were echoed by Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) hospitality and tourism committee deputy chairman Hameed Al Halwachi, who said the influx of Britons spending summer in the country will provide a much needed relief to the sector.
“Even if the local hospitality industry manages to recover 10 per cent of the total losses it faced since last year due to the pandemic, it will be a good boost for the hotels and other sectors,” he said.
Mr Al Halwachi said the F1 race held last month resulted in high room occupancy levels in four and five-star properties, and a rush of British holidaymakers next month could certainly help businesses recover.
“We hosted the F1 race successfully that allowed vaccinated spectators. If vaccinated UK travellers fly in here, then I think we can also see visitors who have received it crossing the King Fahad Causeway next month.”
Bahrain’s tourism industry suffered an estimated BD1 billion blow as a result of the outbreak of Covid-19 and the restrictions put in place between April and December last year.
The kingdom lost 29,000 visitors per day during this period, 10 hotels out of a total of 132 were closed, 450 Indian weddings planned this year were cancelled along with the cancellation of 55 cruise ship trips with around 100,000 visitors on board.
The major concern for Bahrain authorities is the number of positive Covid-19 cases which could influence the green, amber or red designation.
Overseas holidays are currently banned in the UK due to the coronavirus lockdown measures until at least May 17, with international travel currently only permitted for limited reasons such as work, education, medical treatment and funerals.
Review
The prohibition is being reviewed by the Government’s Global Travel Taskforce. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to give an update on the task force’s progress on Easter Monday.
Entry to Bahrain is open to UK nationals, with visas on arrival available.
Meanwhile, the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh have been added to the UK’s red list to protect the country against new variants of Covid-19. This will be effective from April 9.
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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