Benidorm mayor slams UK holiday green list as ‘incomprehensible’ as Brit tourists face 10 days isolation

THE mayor of Benidorm has slammed UK’s new green list of quarantine free travel destinations as “incomprehensible” after Spain was left off.

Toni Perez’s outburst comes after the holiday hotspot remains on the amber list of countries which require returning visitors to self-isolate for 10 days.

 Read our coronavirus and green list announcement live blog for the latest updates

The mayor is now demanding a personal meeting with Britain’s Ambassador to Spain to explain the “reality” of the popular British holiday destination.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps finally announced that Brits can get their foreign getaways booked in, but the list of green list areas is very short.

Portugal, Israel and Iceland are on the list, but as well as Spain, the other traditional holiday hotspots of France and Greece, have been left off.

But fuming Perez said in a statement: “Benidorm has better data than Portugal.”

He said the vaccine rollout in the Valencia region is going well with 31 per cent receiving one shot and 13.4 per cent get both jabs.

Perez described the situation as “incomprehensible” and pointed out that Brits make up for 40 per cent of the tourists in the town.

Mr Perez last month urged the governments of Spain and Britain to let UK holidaymakers return to Benidorm as soon as possible.

“We know the Brits want to visit our wonderful beaches and embrace our marvellous sunshine and that day can’t come soon enough for us, too,” he said.

“Benidorm without the Brits is just not the same. We are missing you as much as you are missing us.”

Mr Shapps also announced that people who have received both jabs will be able to use the NHS app to show their status for travelling abroad.

Countries will themselves decide whether they require proof of Covid vaccination for entry, and it is the traveller’s responsibility to check individual requirements.

Test results will not show in the app and the process for booking and presenting test results for travel remains unchanged. 

Brits are advised not to book anywhere on the amber list, just in case things get worse and it turns red.

Also on the green list are Singapore, the Falkland Islands, Ascension, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Gibraltar, Faroe Islands, and Brunei.

And New Zealand and Australia are also on the list – but they have their own entry requirements and are unlikely to let in tourists at the moment.

Brits will have to wait until at least June 7 to find if they can go on holiday to Spain, France and Greece this summer as minister vowed to keep the system under review.

Meanwhile Turkey, Nepal and the Maldives  have been added to the “high risk” red alert holiday list.

Any countries on the red list will require returning Brits to quarantine at a hotel for 10 days to stop the spread of Covid.