Everything we know about foreign holidays so far

The NHS app will be used by holidaymakers in England to prove their coronavirus status to destination countries, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced.

He said the app – which is currently used to book medical appointments and order repeat prescriptions – will display evidence that someone has been vaccinated or recently tested.

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It comes as Spain's tourism minister said the country will be ready to welcome back tourists – including those from the UK – in June.

The European Union has previously set out plans for coronavirus vaccine certificates that could be used by UK holidaymakers this summer.

Digital Green Certificates will be accepted as “proof” a person had a Covid-19 jab, received a negative test result or recovered from the virus, according to the European Commission’s proposal.

The UK Government has not yet confirmed whether foreign holidays will be permitted from May 17 – the earliest possible date under the roadmap – or which destinations people can visit without self-isolating on their return.

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Announcing the findings of the Global Travel Taskforce earlier this month, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps did confirm a traffic light system would be used to categorise countries based on risk.

In a trading update on Tuesday, low-cost carrier Jet2 said they were concerned over a lack of details for international travel restarting this summer.

Solid rules are yet to be announced but the public, airlines and countries that rely on tourism are keen to get the travel sector back on its feet.

We've answered some key questions on what is happening:

Can I go on holiday yet?

No. Overseas leisure travel from the UK is banned under coronavirus rules.

Travel out of the UK is only legally allowed for specific reasons, such as work, to buy or sell property, or to attend a funeral (Yui Mok/PA)

When will that change?

May 17 is the earliest date for the resumption of overseas leisure travel for people in England, under the Westminster Government’s road map for easing restrictions.

No dates have been set by the devolved administrations.

What will the rules be for people returning to England?

That depends on where you have been. Destinations will be categorised as “red”, “amber” or “green”, with different quarantine and testing requirements.

What happens if I go to a ‘green’ country?

You will not need to self-isolate, and will only need one post-arrival test.

What destinations are on this list?

The Government has not set a publication date, but there is speculation it will be released next week.

What does the travel industry think about that?

There is mounting frustration that the lack of clarity is putting people off from booking trips.

Spain plans to welcome the return of international tourists in June (Tom Pilgrim/PA)

What criteria will be used for putting countries into categories?

Assessments will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country’s population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and the country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

Does that give us any clues?

Travel experts believe Israel, Morocco, the Maldives and parts of the Caribbean will initially be “green”.

Paul Charles, boss of travel consultancy The PC Agency, says all of Europe will be “either ‘amber’ or ‘green'”, with the US becoming “green” before July 4.

People returning from amber countries must quarantine at home for 10 days and take two post-arrival tests.

Beach volleyball on one of Tel Aviv’s beaches (Adam Davy/PA)

Will other countries welcome UK tourists?

A number of popular destinations have expressed their desire for the return of UK holidaymakers this summer.

Portugal hopes tourists will be back in May, while Spain is planning to reopen for international visitors in June.

What about vaccine passports?

Destinations are likely to require holidaymakers to show evidence they have received a coronavirus vaccine or taken a recent negative test.

Grant Shapps confirmed on Wednesday, April 28, that people in England will be able to display their status using the NHS app.