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French ski resorts celebrate as British tourists allowed to return

French ski resorts reacted with delight on Thursday after the French government announced an easing of travel restrictions on the UK, allowing British tourists to return.

Published: 13 January 2022 16:37 CET
France's Courchevel ski resort.
France's Courchevel ski resort. Photo: Thomas Coex/AFP

A blanket ban on non-essential travel from December 18th caused British holiday-makers to cancel planned trips at the end of the year, particularly skiers who head to the Alps over the holidays.

However, on Thursday France announced a lifting of the rules, which were originally put in place due to the spread of the Omicron variant in the UK.

“The wide circulation today of the variant in both countries has led the government to make the following changes,” a statement from Prime Minister Jean Castex’s office said.

From Friday, January 15th all vaccinated travellers entering France from the UK will have to show only a negative PCR or antigen test taken 24 hours before their departure.

Unvaccinated travellers, however, will have to provide a “compelling reason” to travel such as a family emergency, and will have to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival in France at an address that must be registered with security forces.

Find a full breakdown of the rules for travel in both directions HERE.

The opening of the border will allow British winter-sports enthusiasts to return to the French Alps.

READ ALSO What are the Covid rules in French ski resorts?

“Thousands of people head there for ski breaks at this time of year, so this will be a huge relief for customers with holidays booked there for the next few weeks, who have been waiting anxiously for news,” the ABTA, which represents British travel groups, said in a statement.

Alex Sykes, flight operations manager at the UK-based Mark Warner travel operator, told AFP that he was “very relieved and very happy to get operational again, starting this weekend.”

“We’re hoping this is the last of the disruptions this winter season,” he said.

Gilles Delaruelle, chief executive of the Courchevel resort in France, told AFP: “We’re expecting a wave of bookings for February and March.”

French Tourism Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said last week that stays in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie areas, where most resorts are located, were down by 10 to 20 percent over the Christmas and New Year period compared with 2019.

Lemoyne said on Thursday that Britons accounted for around 15 percent of all visitors to French ski resorts, and even more in some of the biggest high-altitude stations.

“The decision this morning will enable them to recoup some of their losses, I hope,” he told the TV5 Monde channel.

Eurostar, the operator of train services between the UK and France, also welcomed the change, saying it would increase the number of services in the weeks ahead.

The boss of cross-channel ferry group Brittany Ferries, Christophe Mathieu, said he hoped it was “the last border closure of the Covid crisis.”
  

Member comments

  1. The thing I still can’t work out is whether a 12-18 year old with a single vaccine dose will be able to continue with the daily antigen test to access ski lifts. My fully boosted daughter and son in law arrive on 29th January with my 13 year old grandson who has only had one vaccine. As he has not reached the 12 week wait, the UK will not give him the second dose until early February which is too late for their departure. Any suggestions or clearer advice would be greatly appreciated. Maybe the authorities at the resorts will know? Thanks John

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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