“Weirdly, the list includes two countries (Australia and New Zealand) which aren’t currently allowing any visitors, and three other destinations grouped together that are hardly key holiday destinations due to the enormous distances and complex travel logistics involved (Tristan da Cunha, Ascension Island, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands),” said Aito in a statement.

“That leaves seven other destinations on the green list – those closest to the UK, which can be reached by short-haul flight, include Portugal, Gibraltar, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. 

“The only mid-haul destination is Israel and the two long-haul destinations are Brunei and Singapore – and Singapore requires self-isolation for 21 days on arrival, which is not going to entice many takers. 

“Basically, there are really only four easily-accessible countries in the green list – Portugal, Israel, Gibraltar and Iceland – out of 195 independent sovereign nations, plus a few dependencies. 

“The much-proclaimed “grand re-opening of travel” is just 2% of the total destinations worldwide.” 

A ’damp squib’

Aito’s chairman, Chris Rowles, said: “What a damp squib!

“This creates still more uncertainty – despite the UK’s stunning vaccination delivery, with 35 million people now having been vaccinated, we are still very largely confined to the UK. 

“Shapps says the travel industry is important and once again talks about the support it has been given – yet, as everyone in government knows full well, travel has received no sector-specific support, despite it being desperately needed; we are the worst-affected service industry of all according to the Office of National Statistics.”

Rowles described the need for a PCR test despite being vaccinated as “ridiculous”.   

“Fares are already rising dramatically; once you add the test costs, travel really will be only for the rich and not the masses.

“It is hopelessly unclear if the three-week traffic light updates start from today or from 17 May, which is desperately unhelpful for beleaguered travel companies.  

“With quite rapid improvements in many EU countries, the short-haul list of destinations should really increase substantially in the next three weeks – but who knows with this government, which seems to be guided by alchemy rather than science?”

Giles Hawke, chief executive, Cosmos and Avalon Waterways, agreed a number of the countries on the list are inaccessible, and said there was too little information from government to generate any confidence or clarity.

“The green list doesn’t really mean green, it means amber as you still have to proceed with caution and can’t just go, and there are some notable countries missing.

“As well as this, at least two of the countries on the list won’t let Brits in and a few of them, as far as I can tell, are impossible to get through without passing through a country on amber or red, and some of them must have no more than triple figures of British tourists in any given year, so are largely irrelevant.

“Let’s hope the list expands quickly. I can’t believe that the US isn’t on the green list given its massive vaccination programme success.

“Clearly, the much anticipated traffic light list has left many of us all feeling blue!”

Shona Thorne, director of Thorne Travel Group in Scotland, was also disappointed.

“I feel totally underwhelmed by the announcement,” she said. “While this is only for England I do believe that Scotland will not go any further if indeed as far as England.

“While I understand the traffic light system, I believe the PCR test for green countries will be a massive barrier to families due to costs, bringing back the days of travel was for only the certain few. 

“If the cost of this could be reduced then I believe this would reassure customers and allow small breaks, as well as families to travel overseas safely. 

“I would like to have heard that the list of countries would be reviewed on a weekly basis. This would ensure we do not have a summer like last year when countries were getting put on a red list in two days.

“If we are following the data as is always being stated then let’s use this wisely and plan, ensuring safety for the UK and freedom of movement.”