Spain will be on green list at next review, predicts Spanish tourism minister

‘Spain is going to change on its notification,’ predicts Fernando Valdes

Malaga is ready to welcome tourists (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Spain’s tourism minister has predicted that the country will be put on the UK government’s travel “green list” in the next review.

Speaking to Sky News, Fernando Valdes said he suspected that “Spain is going to change on its notification”.

“What I can say is that right now Spain is doing a great effort not only in terms of vaccination, we have at least one third of our whole population with at least one dose,” he said.

“We do have some holiday destinations which are very loved by British tourists such as the Balearic Islands, Costa Blanca or Malaga, with our notification rates which are pretty low and by the same notification range of the UK, so I have to suspect that on the next review that the UK Government can provide... Spain is going to change on its notification.”

As of today, 24 May, British travellers no longer face any outbound restrictions when visiting Spain.

No PCR Covid test, quarantine or proof of vaccination is required for Brits to enter the country.

However, Spain remains on the Department for Transport’s amber list, meaning returning holidaymakers still face rather onerous restrictions.

They must take three coronavirus tests – one prior to departure for the UK, and two after they arrive back in the UK – and self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival.

If Spain was moved from amber to green under the traffic light system, travellers entering the UK from there would face no quarantine and would need just two tests instead: one pre-departure, the other on arrival.

However, despite the Spanish tourism minister’s optimism, recent reports suggest none of the major European holiday destinations – Spain, Greece, Italy and France – are likely to go green at the first review of the traffic light system, due to take place the first week of June.

Boris Johnson has said that “quite a few” countries could be added, reports The Telegraph.

He reportedly made the remarks at a meeting of the 1922 Conservative backbench committee, indicating that “near misses” that were almost designated green initially were likely to make the cut this time round.

The contenders are thought to include Malta, Finland, Grenada, the Cayman Islands, Fiji, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos and Anguilla.

But most of the tourism hotspots of Europe – Croatia, Spain, Italy, France and Greece – look unlikely to shift from amber to green on the next reshuffle.