Malta is one of 24 countries which is likely to be included in the United Kingdom’s travel green list as from 17 May, a British travel expert said on Friday.

Paul Charles, the CEO of travel consultancy firm PC Agency, said that 24 countries were looking likely to be declared as “green” when the UK declares a start to international leisure travel on 17 May.

The declaration is based “on vaccine rates, infection rates, evidence of variants and data quality”, Charles tweeted.

Most European countries are predicted to be on the amber list when travel restarts, but Malta is one of the few exceptions along with Portugal, Iceland, Finland, and British overseas territory Gibraltar. 

These are all slated to be on the UK’s green list come mid-May.

Outside Europe, Charles said a number of Caribbean destinations were likely to be green, as would Israel, Morocco and the Falkland Islands.

Charles, whose company has been declared as the world’s most influential agency in travel for five years running, said that he expects the British government to announce the full traffic-light lists on 6 or 7 May, before it is they will reconfirm that travel can restart on 17 May a few days later.

Much like Malta’s system for travel into the country, each colour – red, amber, or green – comes with a different set of rules depending on the risk of importing new cases of Covid into the UK.

All passengers travelling to the country must still present a negative Covid test result before departure – rapid antigen, lateral flow and PCR are all acceptable.

After that, green countries will have the lightest restrictions, with arrivals into England required to take one PCR test within two days of arrival.

Those travelling from amber countries will have to take two PCR tests, one on day two and one on day eight, and quarantine for 10 days at home – though they can cut self-isolation short in England if they opt to pay for another PCR test on day five.

And travellers from red list countries will continue with the same system that’s in place now, required to pre-book an 11-night stay at a quarantine hotel and take a test on day two and day eight. The package currently costs £1,750 for a single traveller.