UK Holiday bookings soar as Covid-19 travel restrictions ease

Travel companies are set for the busiest weekend of the year as holiday bookings surged following the U.K. government’s announcement Friday that it would ease travel curbs for the fully vaccinated.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries would be scrapped for England from Oct. 4 and replaced by a simplified red list of countries with high infection rates.

"Even though the changes were announced late on Friday, bookings surged, making it one of the busiest days of the year,” David Child, spokesperson for online travel company Thomas Cook Group PLC, said in a phone interview.  "We’re looking at this weekend being the busiest of the year so far.”