London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

British holidaymakers face paying an extra £500 for Covid tests

British holidaymakers face paying an extra £500 for Covid tests

Families face paying up to £530 extra for their holidays because of the cost of Covid testing - even if they are fully vaccinated.
Some Britons could be "priced out" of foreign breaks because they will be unable to afford the extra charges, travel bosses have warned.

This week Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that from July 19 the Government will drop the quarantine rules for the vaccinated returning to England from amber list destinations.

But tour operators and agents have warned that the cost of PCR testing is still a major deterrent to going to amber list countries, which include Greece, France Italy and Spain.

Virginia Messina, senior vice president of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said: "Holidaymakers and the Travel & Tourism sector will breathe a sigh of relief now that quarantine-free holidays have been given the green light for those that have been fully jabbed.

“While it’s a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go before holidays become truly affordable - and accessible. The requirement for PCR tests to return from amber list countries will remain, pricing out many hard-working families from being able to take holidays abroad."

Vaccinated holidaymakers will pay about £133 each for PCR tests, which are taken to leave the UK, then on return and at home after visiting amber list country Italy.

This rises to an estimated £233 per person for unvaccinated travellers to Spain who require four tests in total, according to research by Which?

Many children also need to be tested, pushing bills up for families.

France, Italy and Portugal all require a negative test to enter the country, even for vaccinated travellers. Children aged over 11 in France, six in Italy and 13 in Portugal must also have a negative test.

Italy also requires people coming from Briton to quarantine for five days.

The UK government insists holidaymakers use more expensive PCR tests, analysed in a lab, to check for any mutant strains of Covid-19.

Mr Shapps has indicated the Government would consider relaxing the existing requirement at the end of July when the traffic-light system is next reviewed.

Speaking in the Commons on Thursday, he said: “The scientific evidence is that PCR tests, in addition to being a bit more accurate, are also the ones which can be quickly sequenced for genomes to look for variants.”

He added: “There are some very inexpensive tests. I think the cheapest I saw was £4.95. We won’t be testing people for a moment longer than is required, but our primary responsibility, of course, is to protect people in the UK. We do not want to have a variant come in that we simply fail to pick up.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×