Britons traveling to Spain can enter the country without having to prove their Covid or vaccination status after travel restrictions were lifted.
Previously, people had to show they were fully vaccinated, provide a negative Covid test or show they had recently recovered.
The drop in remaining Covid restrictions comes as families prepare to head off for the mid-term holidays.
Travel agents said a “final hurdle” to the holiday had been removed.
Other European destinations such as France, Italy and Greece lifted their rules ahead of Spain, which is the top destination for British holidaymakers abroad.
The Spanish Ministry of Health announced on Thursday that people arriving from outside the European Union will no longer be subject to controls from Friday.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of travel agency network Advantage Travel Partnership, said restrictions have been a barrier, particularly for people who are unvaccinated.
“We have seen that other destinations where restrictions were eased earlier in the year, such as Greece, benefited from an overall surge in demand over the summer,” she said.
Ms Lo Bue-Said described Spain’s move as “better late than never and good news”.
It’s not the first time that Spain has been relatively slow to relax its Covid rules.
The requirement for children over 12 to be double-vaccinated to enter mainland Spain was only scrapped just before half term in February after tourism companies warned it was prompting families to book trips to other countries instead.
Many countries around the world including the US still have Covid entry rules in place.
Travel companies have continued to report strong demand for bookings despite the cost of living pressures affecting households, and Heathrow Airport said it expects Christmas to be busy.
However, it warned that there was still uncertainty about the winter due to “growing economic headwinds, a new wave of Covid and the escalating situation in Ukraine”.
The industry had a difficult summer as demand for international travel rebounded sharply, but companies struggled with staff shortages.
It still faces various challenges as it is set to recover, including hiring, as the job market remains tight.
Elsewhere, the Port of Dover and Eurostar are in talks with the French and UK governments over how a new EU border control system will work.
The IT system, due to be rolled out next May, will require travelers to register their fingerprints and a photo when they leave the UK, but Dover fears the registration process could cause queues.
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