Blanket restrictions on non-essential overseas travel will be relaxed in the UK from 6 July, ministers have said.
Holidaymakers are expected to be allowed to travel to certain European countries without having to spend 14 days in quarantine when they return.
They are thought to include Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Turkey, Germany and Norway – but not Portugal or Sweden.
The full list of travel corridors with the UK will be published next week.
A government spokesman said the new rules would give people “the opportunity for a summer holiday abroad” while also boosting the UK economy – but stressed the relaxation depended on risks staying low.
A traffic light system will be introduced – with countries classified as green, amber and red depending on the prevalence of coronavirus. The government said it “wouldn’t hesitate to put on the brakes” if the situation changes.
Portugal has seen a rise in the number of new cases in and around Lisbon recently, while Sweden is also unlikely to be on the list because the infection rate there is higher than in the UK. They are both likely to be classified as red.
But the government spokesman conceded there would be nothing to stop someone avoiding quarantine by flying into a Spanish airport, driving over the border into Portugal for their holiday and returning by the same route.
The travel sector has gone to war with the government over its blanket quarantine policy.
So a more nuanced, risk-based approach will quieten the critics to some extent.
UK travellers will still have to hand over the address they plan to stay at on their return from abroad, no matter which country they are coming back from. And they will also be legally required to wear face coverings on planes and ferries.
Travel industry group ABTA described the relaxation of quarantine rules as “encouraging”.
“Confirmation of the list of countries is eagerly anticipated by the travel industry, and should encourage customers to book,” it said in a statement.
“The blanket Foreign Office advice against all but essential travel is still a major impediment to travel, however, and we look forward to the government adopting a similar risk-based approach to that advice.”