Portugal has been added to the travel corridor list following a decrease in confirmed cases of coronavirus.

This means passengers arriving in England from the destination after 04:00 on Saturday will not need to self-isolate for 14-days.

Additionally, Portugal - considered the World’s Leading Destination by the World Travel Awards - has been added to the list of destinations that are exempted from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) global advisory against non-essential travel.

The move has been warmly welcomed by the travel trade.

An ABTA spokesperson said: “Portugal is a popular destination among British holidaymakers and a place where the weather usually remains pleasant late into wintertime.

“The news that holidaymakers can still enjoy a much-deserved break in this country will be welcomed by travellers and the travel industry alike.”

The body ABTA has prepared a guide for customers on how to plan post-Covid-19 holidays and what to expect when they arrive.

Virginia Messina, WTTC managing director, added: “WTTC is relieved that thousands of British holidaymakers can now at long last go on holiday to Portugal thanks to the country finally being removed from the UK quarantine list.

“This news is a welcome shot in the arm for the fragile tourism sector – both in the UK and Portugal.

“We hope it will also go some way to restoring the confidence of consumers to travel in safety again and enjoy a late summer holiday away.”

Quarantine

At the same time, Croatia, Trinidad & Tobago and Austria have been added to the quarantine list.

Travellers arriving in England from tomorrow morning will need to self-isolate for two weeks.

Data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England has indicated a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of coronavirus in all three destinations, leading to ministers removing these destinations from the current list of travel corridors.

The weekly incidence (cases) per 100,000 for Croatia has increased from 10.4 on August 12th to 27.4 on August 19th (a 164 per cent increase).

There has been a consistent increase in the weekly incidence rate of Covid-19 in Trinidad & Tobago over the past four weeks, with a 232 per cent increase in weekly cases per 100,000 between August 12th and 19th.

In Austria, the weekly cases per 100,000 of the population has increased from 10.5 on August 13th to 20.3 on August 20th, a 93 per cent increase.

The FCO has simultaneously updated its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to the three destinations.