Portugal will treat British tourists as EU citizens at the border to reduce airport queues.
Britons get a boost when officials open e-gates to allow them to quickly enter the country for summer vacations
Portugal is the first EU country that has defied Brexit and treated British holidaymakers as EU citizens at its borders.
Portuguese officials have opened their e-gates for British tourists, allowing them to move seamlessly and without waiting for hours for manual checks. This is in contrast to the previous requirements under Brexit.
Britons will not be treated as “third-country” visitors under Brexit. However, a special channel will be available for the three million UK holidaymakers that visit Portugal each year.
Portugal will attempt to lure Britons away to other south European summer hotspots that are popular with UK holidaymakers by establishing frictionless travel, as though the UK were in the EU’s Schengen Area.
Portugal’s largest overseas tourist market is the UK with almost 484,000 “room nights”, which were clocked by Britons in January, February and March. This figure is the highest of any country.
The new border policy could lead countries like Spain, France and Greece to adopt it. The UK accounts for a significant portion of the four EU countries’ tourism revenues.
While Brexit makes Britain a third country within the EU, each EU state is free to determine its travel guidelines.
Passenger locator forms scrapped
Travellers to Portugal no longer need to fill out a passenger locator form. Masks are required only for public transport, such as taxis, aircraft and entry to hospitals, care homes, and similar services.
The Telegraph was told by Luis Araujo (president of Turismo Portugal) that the opening of the e-gates would increase accessibility for British tourists as they head into busy summer periods.
He said, “We are delighted to have made travel from Portugal easier for those who can make use of the new electronic gates.”
Paul Charles, chief executive at the PC Agency, a travel agency, stated: “Portugal clearly leads the way in recognising the fact that they must process large numbers of British tourists as smoothly as possible otherwise there might be long lines this summer.”
It’s a smart way to distinguish themselves from other countries that aren’t processing in the same manner. If this is not followed, I believe other EU countries will follow it. Otherwise, British tourists will experience long delays entering France, Spain Greece, Italy, and other countries.
After 3,000 people were delayed at Madrid’s Easter airport due to queues, Spanish airlines now demand faster passport checks for UK passengers. The chaos has been caused by the increase in non-Schengen passenger numbers.
Portugal will allow British tourists with e-passports to use special channels at Lisbon Faro, Porto, and Funchal in Madeira. These can also be used in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Singapore.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), has asked countries to follow the UK’s lead and lift all travel restrictions, even those that are not for tourists.
Virginia Messina is the WTTC’s Senior Vice President. She stated that “What the UK Government has done…is really going to aid the recovery.”
She also spoke at the annual WTTC conference in Manila, Philippines. She called for a more coordinated approach to any future Covid epidemics or pandemic viruses.
She stated that she was pushing for what the UK Department for Transport calls a global surveillance network.
“Could there be a system, such as a layered approach where we can bring back restrictions if there is a risk, but it’s done in a coordinated way across countries, rather than everyone creating their own system?”
As many studies have shown closing borders can delay the spread of infection, but not stop it.
