The uncertainty of travel this summer is crippling many business, so here we make a positive case that Brits will be able to travel to Lanzarote this summer. 
On Monday 17th May, step 3 of the roadmap in England is expected to commence. I believe international travel for leisure will be legal then, but unfortunately it will only be a handful of countries rated 'green' in the so-called 'traffic light' system.
Looking ahead into the main summer season, there are reasons to be very hopeful.
We'll be in such a different place then, the warmer weather is on its way both in the UK and in Europe. Most crucially, though, the vaccination programmes in Europe are ramping up. In the past week in Spain there has been a 34.5% increase in the number of vaccinations week on wee.
The current 'traffic light' system from 17/5 is as follows for returning;
GREEN: Pre-departure rapid test. No quarantine. PCR test on or before day 2 of arrival.
AMBER: Pre-departure rapid test. 10 days' quarantine (or 5 with a further test on day 5). PCR test on days 2 and 8 of quarantine.
RED: Pre-departure rapid test. 11 nights' hotel quarantine.
Remember, pre-departure tests are not needed for under-11s. Only under-5s are exempt from the post-arrival tests.
Cost of tests
The cost of PCR tests have been prohibitively high, but really there has been very low demand. Last summer PCR tests weren't needed for the mainstream destinations, and only for a brief period prior to Christmas was leisure travel possible to Spain with testing in place. With more widespread demand, the cost could come down. Already, Randox has lowered the cost of a PCR test to £60. There's more to do, policy options for the government include removing the VAT or capping the cost, which could come part of the 28th June review. Industry is pushing for the government to drop the post-arrival testing (or change to rapid antigen testing) for return from 'green' countries for the 28th June review.
Watchlist
There's now a 'green watchlist' to give travellers more notice of changes to countries' status. Barring any emergencies, it's unlikely there will be such a sudden change and this will give travellers more confidence. This is a huge improvement on the chaos of last summer.
28th June
The restrictions will be formally reviewed on 28th June. It's possible there will be a different status for vaccinated people (allowing them to skip testing or quarantine) and that post-arrival testing won't be necessary for 'green' countries. This is the big review ahead of the main summer season, and will be the key date for loosening the current 'green' and 'amber' rules. I believe in July the Canary Islands will be on for easier leisure travel.
Flights
There are some extraordinary flight deals at the moment and airlines are offering great flexible policies. In fact, Jet2 has been rapidly refunding for cancelled flights. Ryanair and easyJet are offering free changes.
Accommodation in Lanzarote
Lanzarote is desperate to welcome you back. Many owners and agents have great policies on coronavirus, through either refunds or the ability to change dates. Booking is risk-free.
There's an amazing range of properties available on our website: click here
You will be on your favourite beautiful Lanzarote beach soon!