TUI has issued a new travel update following the news that the UK's red list has been slashed to just seven destinations.
The latest update saw popular holiday destinations such as Thailand, Cape Verde and Mexico all being removed from the red list, just weeks after other hotspots such as Turkey and Egypt were removed.
These countries will now be on the 'rest of the world' list, which means that the Foreign Office will likely lift its ban on non-essential travel, paving the way for holidays.
From Monday (October 11), 47 countries are being removed from the red list, meaning even more choice for Brits who want to head abroad, just in time for October half term and the winter sun holidays season.
TUI has confirmed it plans to resume holidays to formerly red list countries, which will include routes to:
- Antalya, Dalaman, Bodrum and Izmir in Turkey from October 16
- Cancun in Mexico from October 17
- Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt from October 17
- Hurghada in Egypt from October 18
It's worth noting that the holiday giant has already been offering packages to a number of countries that were previously on the green and amber lists (now merged to be the 'rest of the world' list). These include Balearics, Canaries, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Portugal and St Lucia.
The firm also has holidays with non-TUI flights to Antigua, Barbados, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Spain, the Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Switzerland, Turkey and the UAE.
Unfortunately, there are still some holiday cancellations in place due to ongoing travel restrictions, such as some countries only welcoming Brits who are fully vaccinated against Covid, or being open to travellers with a period of quarantine in place.
As a result, TUI has revealed it will still have some cancelled holidays until November including Thailand and Cape Verde, even if these were both taken off the red list in the new update (you can check out the full list of cancellations below).
TUI cancellations
- Up to and including October 16: Jamaica
- Up to and including October 21: Cape Verde, Cuba and Dominican Republic
- Up to and including October 31 with TUI flights: Aruba, Austria, Italy and Slovenia (TUI Lakes and Mountains), Bulgaria (Varna and Bourgas), Costa Rica, Florida, Italy (Calabria, Sardinia and Sicily), Mainland Spain (Almeria and Girona), Malta, Montenegro, Thailand and Tunisia
- Up to and including October 31 with non-TUI flights: Austria, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Thailand and Trinidad & Tobago, USA and UAE (Abu Dhabi)
You can find out more on the TUI website here.
The UK's own travel rules changed earlier this month as the amber list was scrapped, with two lists now in place - the red list, or the rest of the world list.
Anyone returning from a red list country will be required to stay in a quarantine hotel for 11 days and fork out costs of £2,285 per person.
Meanwhile for the rest of the world list, requirements depend on your vaccination status.
Fully vaccinated arrivals will need to take a PCR test on day two after landing (there are hopes that the government will ease this rule so it only has to be a lateral flow test).
Those who are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated will need to take a pre-departure test, as well as PCR tests on days two and eight after landing. They will also be required to self-isolate for 10 days, although there is a 'test to release' option if you are willing to pay for a fourth test.
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