Emmanuel Macron’s travel ban for UK holidaymakers was lifted by French tourism officials last night. They accused him of punishing his industry for deteriorating ties to Britain.
Just before Christmas, the French President imposed tough measures upon UK tourists to prevent the Omicron variant from spreading.
Senior industry figures across the Channel said several holiday and ski resorts face economic ‘catastrophe’ this month unless the ban is lifted.
It comes as the country’s own public health agency yesterday admitted Omicron is now the most dominant variant in France. Omicron contributed to the record number of infections yesterday which saw 232,000 more cases. This puts even greater pressure on Macron to backtrack.
President Emmanuel Macron was told by the UK government to remove his ban on UK holidaymakers from travelling.
Francois Badjily, head of the Alpe d’Huez tourist office, suggested France was playing politics with the pandemic. ‘We have the impression that our industry is being made to pay the price for the poor relations between both countries right now, whether it’s about Brexit or fishing or whatever,’ he said.
Badjily stated that the existing rules are incoherent as fully vaccinated tourist from countries with the Omicron strain can travel to the United States.
To enter French tourist hotspots like ski resorts and restaurants, bars, or leisure facilities, you will need a vaccination passport.
Alpe d’Huez draws a quarter of its visitors from the UK every year, and Mr Badjily added: ‘Why should a Briton who meets these criteria not be allowed to come, but the French and Belgians can?’
Christophe Lavaut, director of the Val d’Isere ski resort, also called on officials in Paris to axe the ‘compelling reason to travel’ directive that has stopped holidaymakers coming to France. ‘This restriction should simply be lifted as it is no longer necessary,’ he added.
Senior industry figures across the Channel said several holiday and ski resorts face economic ‘catastrophe’ this month unless the ban is lifted
At least 42 per cent of Val d’Isere’s customers are British, said Mr Lavaut, who urged his government to act ‘at the beginning of January’. Mr Macron’s travel measures have created chaos and sowed confusion throughout the entire Christmas break.
Earlier this week, border police even prevented Britons who were legal residents in the EU from returning to their homes – French officials at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone said they were not allowed to cross through France on health grounds.
But the EU’s top disease agency said in a report last month that Omicron travel restrictions only ‘help buy valuable time during the first days of detection’, adding that in countries already experiencing community transmission ‘such measures will probably not be relevant for much longer’.
The French government failed to reply to the Mail’s request for comment. Germany will remove Britain on Tuesday from its travel red-list after Omicron’s government acknowledged that Omicron is already widespread in Germany.