These are the countries most likely to open for Brits this summer

While international travel has been touch-and-go since the pandemic hit over a year ago, Boris Johnson's lockdown easing roadmap has given us refreshed hope that we might be able to see parts of Europe again this summer.

According to the roadmap, we could begin to travel to Europe again as early as 17 May before all restrictions on international travel cease on 21 June.

However, these dates are subject to change and the aviation minister, Robert Courts has told MPs that international travel may now start later than 17 May.

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During a meeting with the Transport Select Committee, Courts said: “We’ve said there won’t be any travel before 17 May and we will look as soon as we can after that. But it really isn’t something I can give more detail on at the moment I’m afraid.”

While nothing will be certain until reporting is released from the Global Travel Taskforce on 12 April, we can only hope that international travel will be on the agenda in time for summer.

So where will we be able to go when we are allowed to travel? While we may be able to go abroad, we’ll only be able to visit the countries that are letting us in.

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One option could be the proposed ‘digital green passport’ which has been suggested by the European Commission. This would act as a vaccine passport and provide proof that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19.

EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said: "The aim is to gradually enable them to move safely in the European Union or abroad - for work or tourism."

While the scheme would be available for Europeans first, to move freely through the continent, there are plans to cooperate with international organisations as well.

With that in mind, we detail the countries most likely to let us in this summer, if all goes according to plan.

Greece

Greece has already indicated that it’s ready to welcome in British travellers this year as soon as we’re given the green light.

Greek tourism minister, Haris Theoharis, said: “A date of 17 May has been set and we certainly want to be ready by then. The roadmap was a very, very good move by the UK government… planning is a pre-requisite for the travel industry.”

Spain

Spain has said it is considering its own “green corridor” for UK travellers this summer if there is no collective EU decision on vaccine passports.

The country's tourism minister Fernando Valdés told Bloomberg TV: "Right now we have discussions with our colleagues in the UK. For us the British market is our main market. But obviously since we are a member of the European Union, the solutions have first to be part of the discussions with the EU.

"And obviously if that cannot be reached, we will be thinking of other corridors like green corridors with third countries that can help us restart tourism flows."

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Portugal

While Portugal is still currently on our “red list”, which means that anyone coming to the UK from Portugal at present needs to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks, this will hopefully be reversed by summer.

Portugal has already indicated that it wants to back vaccine passports. Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa said: “The hope we all have is that by the summer it will be possible for this document [vaccine passport] to exist.”

Seychelles

The archipelago off the coast of east Africa is already welcoming tourists who have had both jabs of the vaccine.

This means fully-vaccinated travellers from anywhere worldwide can visit, but a negative Covid PCR test taken 72 hours before travel must also be presented.

The Maldives

Still open to visitors, British travellers will need to present a negative PCR test taken within 96 hours of departure if they hope to travel to the Maldives anytime soon.

The island nation was placed on our travel corridor list in November so hopefully, when we can travel again, it will still be part of the green-light corridor system.

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