Travellers who turn up at an airport without a form stating the reason for their trip face fines of £200, the government has announced.
From Monday, anyone who is going abroad from England will need to complete and carry a declaration to travel document that can be obtained from the government’s website. The form can be printed or stored on a mobile phone.
Under current coronavirus lockdown rules, anyone who wants to travel internationally from England can do so only for limited reasons including work, education or medical grounds.
The three-page form requires those intending to take a trip to fill in their personal details and tick a box indicating their purpose of travelling outside the country.
Police have been increasing patrols at ports and airports in recent weeks and will have the power to ask travellers to produce a completed form from Monday, the Department for Transport said.
If it is not provided, people could be fined £200 and anyone found to be attempting to travel without a valid reason will be asked to return home. They could, additionally, receive a fixed-penalty notice for breaking stay-at-home rules.
Foreign holidays for people in England will not be permitted before 17 May under Boris Johnson’s roadmap for easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
After Johnson’s announcement, easyJet, Ryanair, Tui and Thomas Cook reported a jump in bookings to destinations including Spain and Greece, with people hoping travel might resume later in May.
The increase bolstered shares in airlines and travel companies on Tuesday. EasyJet and Tui were among the top risers on the FTSE 250, up 7% and 3% respectively. On the FTSE 100, British Airways’ owner, International Airlines Group, was up 3.5%.
Domestic travel has also received a boost. Data from the hotel technology provider Avvio showed a further 38% rise in the value of summer bookings at UK hotels and self-catering accommodation since the announcement, compared with the previous day.
It said the high-end UK holiday market was booming, with August revenue for four- and five-star hotels up 350% from last year. Self-contained accommodation in England could open from 12 April under the roadmap with hotels possibly open from 17 May.
