Bruno Freitas, CEO of the Savoy Signature, and Regional representative of the Hotel Association of Portugal, considers the removal of Portugal from the UK’s ‘green list’ as an “untimely and out of context” measure.
Reacting to the news he said the the British Transport Minister, Grant Shapps announcement that Portugal and its islands had been removed from the green list was short sighted. Talking to journalists, he said:
“The Region is being treated as a Portuguese region, integrated into a continental territory, but it is not. Accessibility is made directly from the UK to Madeira. It does not pass through other airports. We see no reason why the islands, and specifically Madeira and Porto Santo, should be discriminated against, which is unfair to say the least, considering that Madeira is a safe destination, whose daily cases are under control.
Regarding the impact of this ‘step back,’ Bruno Freitas admits that the hotel unit he runs has not yet felt the immediate effect of the decision, but that the UK governments decision will soon cause confusion and inconvenience.
“We currently have clients who arrived this week, and their holidays will be curtailed as many are worried that their return will coincide with the mandatory 10-day quarantine. Furthermore, travellers are already asking questions about whether they can change their holiday dates, which may leave many British travellers looking for alternative holiday destinations, where they do not have to comply with a 10-day quarantine period on their return.
I’ve heard the Falklands is nice this time of year!
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
