© Provided by The iGibraltar's decision to waive PCR tests for British holidaymakers was partly down to the UK’s 'higher vaccinated population and a lower incidence of Covid' (Photo: Cristina Quicler/AFP/Getty Images)
UK tourists who visit Gibraltar will not be required to take coronavirus tests when foreign holidays resume, it has been announced. Officials said the British Overseas Territory, a narrow peninsula on Spain's southern coast, had "zero cases of Covid" on Wednesday.
Fabian Picardo, the chief minister of Gibraltar, said the decision to waive PCR tests for British holidaymakers was partly down to the UK's "higher vaccinated population and a lower incidence of Covid than the rest of the European Union".
He told Sky News: "When you're coming to Gibraltar you're coming to a part of Britain, and therefore you're going to be very welcome here without the need for a PCR test. It's thanks to the [UK] Government that Gibraltar can proudly say that all of our adult population is now vaccinated."
Mr Picardo took the opportunity to plug Gibraltar's tourism credentials and described it as a "great British staycation in the Mediterranean".
Just under three hours on a plane from London, the country has been dubbed a "sunny version of the UK" - a nod to its average annual temperature of 19C, red telephone boxes, branches of Next and Marks and Spencer, and thriving hospitality industry.
The Rock of Gibraltar, a 426m-high limestone ridge, dominates the 2.7 sq mile rocky headland.
© Provided by The iCable cars carry holidaymakers to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar, a 426m-high limestone ridge (Marcin Krzyzak/Shutterstock)
Free guided walks, dolphin-watching tours, coasteering and excursions across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco are popular with tourists. Other attractions include the Alameda Botanic Gardens, the Gibraltar Nature Reserve and Gorham's Cave Complex - a Unesco World Heritage Site. Sunseekers can also head to one of its six beaches.
There are hopes Gibraltar will be on the "green list" for quarantine-free travel after 17 May, which the Government is expected to announce on Friday.
People returning from a green location will not have to quarantine but those travelling from a place on the amber list must self-isolate for at least five days. A red-list destination requires a 10-night stay in a quarantine hotel.
Assessments will be based on factors including the proportion of a country's population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants and access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.