Brits may have to skip the slopes the year, as holidays firms begin to re-route or cancel Christmas trips to the Alps amid fresh travel restrictions.
The uncertainty has bloomed as a result of a new Covid-19 variant known as Omicron, which has prompted Switzerland to force Brits entering the country to quarantine for 10 days, even if fully vaccinated.
It means travellers leaving from Britain will not be able to fly into Geneva airport – one of the busiest check points for skiers heading for the mountains straddling the Swiss and French border.
Though arrivals who are on route through Swiss airports without going landside will be exempt from the quarantine rules, according to updated Foreign Office.
Alternative arrangements
“We have sourced alternative arrangements for customers going into Geneva,” Skiworld’s marketing director Diane Palumbo told City A.M.
Under 100 customers have been affected at Skiworld alone so far, however, Palumbo suggested that other providers may be more affected.
The sentiments of most customers is the same, she added, which is that “testing is a small price to pay to carry on enjoying the benefits off travel”.
“We all got used to enhanced security checks after 9/11, but now they seem absolutely normal.”
She advised those looking for a last-minute ski trip this winter to do so through a package with booking protection – which means providers will be the ones with “sleepless nights” over sudden changes to plans.
A spokesperson for package holiday firm Inghams also told City A.M. that ski holidays to Switzerland could even be cancelled over the new quarantine measures.
“If customers are required to quarantine on arrival in their holiday destination, we will cancel their holiday and they will be offered the option to move to another date or destination, or have a full refund,” she said.
Travel firms now patiently await more confirmation later today.
The new rules come as scientists gather information on Omicron and whether or not it is resistant to current vaccines.
Britain has also expanded its red travel list to include South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
