The United Kingdom gives the “green light”, but the Portuguese government ties

After entering the long-awaited 12-seat “restricted” group of the United Kingdom and the Portuguese government, the British can travel until May 17 – without the need for isolation on their return to the PCR, which requires testing, as the Portuguese government does not announce the opening of borders to British tourists, or It did not announce a possible date because, at this time, authorization has been granted only for reasons essential to the trip.

Department of Tourism Francisco Calhiros, President of the Portuguese Tourism Federation (CDP), D.S.F. In one sentence, the CDP leader summarizes the issue: “The British have already been authorized to come to Portugal, but we are not yet fully open to tourism. We hope this will always happen when it starts on Monday.”

It is recalled that after the Boris Johnson government’s decision was announced, bookings for flights to Portugal, especially hotels in Algarve, skyrocketed.

It should also be noted that Portuguese tourism faces a great opportunity to attract international tourists, as the biggest competitors – Spain, Greece, France, Italy, Turkey – are not included in this “green traffic light”.

“We had a lot of information requests and a lot of reservations, but the problem with us is that on the Portuguese side, trips are only allowed for special reasons,” Calheros stressed on national radio.

Joao Fernandez, head of the Alcarve Tourism Region, has announced that the 17th is three days from now, meaning “it is already next Monday” and hopes the announcement will be made “quickly”, handling the area with the greatest demand from English tourists, various British airlines. Reflected by the number of flights added in the coming seasons from the stations.

Speaking to Publitouris, Jono Fernandez hopes that the Antonio Costa government will decide “as soon as possible” (today (Friday, May 14)) to give the sector a good message.

Regarding this “no decision”, the head of the Algarve region agrees that, in fact, there must have been “an expectation of this situation” not only because the British government included Portugal in the “green traffic light”, but mainly because of the “strong pressure on us in terms of demand”.

This fact is not only news inside the doors, but also because Bloomberg is already taking note of the situation, British tourists report being in a “limbo” because “Portugal is reluctant to reopen”.

In a lengthy article published on the website, Bloomberg said, “British tourists wishing to leave the sun will have to wait longer to reach the beaches of Portugal, after the country postponed the lifting of United entry barriers to UK visits”.

Citing Foreign Minister and Presidential Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva, Bloomberg writes, “There is still work to be done before a decision can be made.”

Although no “green light” has yet been received from the British government, the Spanish executive and Duraspana recently announced a new campaign to improve the target – “de Jornez Espana” – with an investment of eight million euros and will run from May to July this year.

At the campaign presentation, Spanish Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto, in addition, stressed that international tourists should “plan their trips now” because “you can travel, you can travel safely this summer”.

Spain’s campaign is promoting the United Kingdom, France and Germany with print advertising in major travel and lifestyle newspapers and magazines, as well as outdoor advertising on the big screens in digital urban furniture, buses and landmarks.

Regarding this campaign, Jono Fernandez agrees that it is “expected” that it is one of the largest tourist destinations in the world.

It is recalled that Ryanair and EasyJet alone announced the strengthening of more than 200,000 seats on flights to Portugal from several British airports.