Ministers heard last night that traveller PCR testing should be reduced to prevent families from being denied a Christmas abroad.
Travel bosses and MPs called on the Government to either cap prices of the ‘gold standard’ swabs, axe VAT on them or allow holidaymakers to use free NHS ones.
It came as Switzerland effectively ‘red listed’ Britain by subjecting arrivals to ten days of self-quarantine.
The UK is seeing a rising backlash against travel restrictions that will lead to higher testing costs by hundreds of thousands.
In October, the expensive PCR strips for return travellers were discarded and replaced by much more affordable rapid lateral flow.
Switzerland has ‘red listed’ Britain by subjecting arrivals to ten days of self-quarantine
Boris Johnson announced that all travelers, regardless of their vaccination status, must take PCR tests within two days of arriving in Britain.
Once they have their results, travelers must isolate themselves from the outside world. Ministers have put the rule into effect at 4am tomorrow to help track spread of Omicron variant.
But one furious tourism boss branded it a ‘travel tax’, adding that it contradicted the Prime Minister’s claim that ‘this Christmas will be better than last’.
Switzerland’s decision to ‘red list’ the UK means Britons arriving in the country will have to show proof of full vaccination, a negative Covid test and then self-isolate.
The Swiss measures – which came into force at 8pm on Saturday – were also in response to the spread of the Omicron variant.
This could endanger skiing holidays. The ski season in Switzerland begins from mid to late December and ends around late April.
Spain announced the imposition of a travel ban for British citizens who have not been vaccinated. This was after Portugal stated that it would require proof of negative testing, even for visitors with double jabs.
Travellers returning to Britain from abroad who purchased rapid tests believing they would suffice now find themselves having to spend hundreds of pounds on PCR swabs.
Travellers returning to Britain from abroad who purchased rapid tests believing they would suffice now find themselves having to spend hundreds more on PCR swabs
The more expensive tests are dubbed the ‘gold standard’ because they are processed in labs and can be sequenced to detect Covid variants of concern.
But the average cost of a single swab among more than 450 providers listed on the Government website yesterday was £79.
For a family of five this would add £395 to the cost of a trip abroad. As a condition for entry, the country of destination may require that a test be performed. By comparison, rapid lateral flow tests are typically about £20 to £25.
Ben Bradshaw MP, who sits on the Commons transport committee, said: ‘There should definitely be a cap, as other European countries have.
This will kill off demand, which was already much lower than the rest of Europe, particularly given the quarantine requirement while waiting for your PCR result.’
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy the PC Agency, said: ‘One of the best things the Government could do is remove VAT on PCR tests to make it less costly for people to travel.’
Of the new restrictions he added: ‘It’s the Christmas present nobody wanted in the sector and it wipes out inbound tourism due to the quarantine while awaiting test results.’