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Families risk losing thousands on half-term holidays

UK residents can visit Italy over half term according to the FCDO, but not according to the Scottish and Welsh governments - Getty
UK residents can visit Italy over half term according to the FCDO, but not according to the Scottish and Welsh governments - Getty

People in Scotland and Wales who have booked holidays over October half term risk losing thousands of pounds, after the devolved governments warned against non-essential travel over the school holidays.

Both Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford, first ministers of Scotland Wales, have advised people to avoid non-essential foreign trips over the October school holidays.

Speaking on Tuesday, Nicola Sturgeon said families had to consider the October half term as “an opportunity to further limit social interaction”.

“Given that this is a global pandemic, please do not book travel overseas for the October break if it is not essential," she said.

Drakeford said he was “not saying ‘no holidays’”. However, he told the BBC: “Think carefully about those journeys. If they’re necessary you must make them. If they’re not necessary, please don’t travel unless you have to. That is the message here in Wales.”

Despite these warnings, the Foreign Office travel advice has not changed. There are still around 60 countries and territories where people from Scotland and Wales can visit because the UK Government assesses them as “not posing an unacceptably high risk to travellers”.

This means that if a holidaymaker follows the informal “stay home” order issued this week, but their holiday company carries on with their holiday in accordance with Foreign Office advice, the individual or family will likely lose money without scope for a refund.

There is currently no indication that Westminster is planning on following the lead of Scotland and Wales.

Telegraph Travel’s consumer expert, Nick Trend, says: “Scots and Welsh travellers are not entitled to a refund if they cancel their overseas trips in line with recommendations by their governments to avoid holidays overseas.

“It seems entirely unreasonable for those who have paid in advance to lose out and, since the recommendations don’t currently have legal force, my advice to those who have already booked is to go ahead with your holiday as planned. Unless that is it is cancelled by the operator or airline, in which case you must be offered a refund.”

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, told the Times: “There cannot be one rule for holidaymakers and another for airlines. If people are being asked not to travel, then airlines should be made to provide rebooking at no additional cost or refund options to their customers, to prevent them from being left out of pocket or putting public health at risk by taking a holiday they can’t afford to cancel.”

Portia Jones, from Cardiff, has a holiday booked to Sicily over October half term. She says she will travel regardless of what the Welsh government encourages.

“Encouraging us against travel is far too wishy-washy for me, either say we can travel, or lock us down. The last few months have been nothing but contradictory advice, poorly communicated by people clearly out of their depth.

“I haven’t been anywhere in months and it would be great to get away from the disaster that is the UK for a week. We'll follow all the social distancing regulations, wash our hands and try to keep safe of course, as we have been doing here. I’m dreaming of an Aperol spritz in the sun after months of anxiety and uncertainty.”

UK holidaymakers can visit an ever-shrinking number of countries. Since the UK border reopened in July, holiday favourites including Spain, France, Croatia, Portugal and the Greek islands have lost their travel corridors.

More countries look set to be added to the UK’s ‘no-go’ list later today, with Denmark and Iceland both in the crosshairs.

Figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention show the Danish case rate has climbed to 56 per 100,000 people in seven days, while in Iceland it stands at 69 – both well above the Government’s ‘safe’ marker of 20 per 100,000.

There are concerns that the whole of Greece may also be removed after the number of cases nationally rose above 20 earlier this week.

While some Greek islands – including Mykonos and Santorini – are already on English and Welsh quarantine lists due to local outbreaks, the continued rise could be enough for both to take Scotland’s lead in imposing travel restrictions on the whole of Greece.

Italy has also seen an increase in the number of new cases this week, and while the rate is still below 20 (it currently stands at 18), it is possible that Sardinia, which has a much higher case rate, could be placed on the no-go list while the rest of the country remains exempt.

All changes to the UK’s list of travel corridors will be revealed at 5pm today by the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, in his weekly quarantine policy update.