Portugal Confirms British Tourists Allowed from Monday

The Portuguese minister of state for international affairs has announced British tourists will be able to visit Portugal from Monday.

The decision was shared in a communication from the country’s tourist board which said restrictions would be relaxed from 00:00 on May 17.

The Lisbon government prolonged a “state of national calamity” on the mainland for another 15 days until May 30, raising doubts about whether the country will open its borders.

However, the Portuguese National Tourist Office announced that British visitors would be able to enter as of May 17 at 00:00, with all necessary travel restrictions lifted.

The UK government’s green list last week included Portugal as the only major European tourism destination.
A negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure is needed for everyone entering Portugal.

According to the tourist board, testing potential in Portugal has increased, with more than 22,400 businesses registered and more than 23,000 professionals qualified.

“We look forward to hosting British tourists again,” said Joo Fernandes, president of Algarve Tourism.

“With 48.5% of our international visitors arriving at Faro airport from the UK in a typical year, the absence of British visitors was noticed and missed last summer.”

“We also want to reassure visitors that tourism businesses are operating with health and safety protocols in place. Most have signed up to our ‘Clean & Safe’ Campaign, which means they follow our guidelines for keeping staff and customers safe.”