France announced it will relax travel restrictions imposed on the U.K. on January 14 as the Omicron variant—the initial cause of the border closure—is now the most dominant COVID-19 variant in both companies.
According to a tweet by France’s tourism minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, vaccinated travelers from the U.K. will no longer need a “compelling reason” to travel and to isolate upon arrival. In addition, these travelers will only need to show proof of a negative COVID test (either PCR or rapid antigen) from within 24 hours of travel.
CNN reports that unvaccinated travelers will be granted entry, but must register on France's digital platform before departure and must observe a quarantine period of 10 days.
In a statement following the announcement, Julia Simpson, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) president and CEO said: “WTTC welcomes the reopening of French borders to U.K. travelers. Once a variant is endemic closing borders is pointless and only damages livelihoods especially in travel and tourism one of the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic.
“France is one of the biggest markets for UK tourists who, according to WTTC’s 2021 Economic Impact Report, account for 14 percent of overseas visitors. Total international visitor spend in France was worth more than €60 billion [approximately $68.8 billion] pre-pandemic.”
France had banned travel to and from the U.K. on December 16 amid rising concerns related to Omicron. The only travel permitted was for “urgent” reasons, such as a family medical emergency or a legal summons (regardless of a traveler’s vaccination status).
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