During a hospital visit on Monday (24 January), prime minister Boris Johnson told reporters people arriving into England would no longer have to take tests if they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with two jabs.

More details are expected from transport secretary Grant Shapps on Monday afternoon (24 January), while The Telegraph reports the change will take effect from 4am on 11 February. Half-term runs from 14-18 February.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, described the announcement as a "huge boost" for the travel industry, including inbound and business travel sectors. However, she said it was "only one piece of the jigsaw". "Destination protocols and current restrictions for non-vaccinated [people] need addressing too," she added.

Lo Bue-Said was among a chorus of travel industry professionals who took to social media at lunchtime on Monday to hail the decision and share their outlook. Kuoni chief executive Derek Jones said: "Excellent. Now can we drop the passenger locator form as well please?"

Ashley Quint from Berkhamsted agency TravelTime World echoed Jones’s remarks. "The removal of testing when returning to the UK is a big move in the right direction – it looks like the locator form is remaining, although we knew that always would be as its valuable data."

Patricia Yates, deputy chief executive of VisitBritain/VisitEngland, said: "Great news and extremely welcome steps to further boosting consumer confidence in visiting Britain. Easing the remaining testing requirements has been a clear ask from across the tourism industry.

"We know there is pent-up demand for travel, and our priority is driving back demand for Britain and visitor spending as quickly as possible, competing hard for the international visitors who contribute billions to our economy."

Haslemere Travel owner Gemma Antrobus tweeted the decision was a "hugely positive step forward" while Travel Counsellor Emma Savage added: "Great news indeed. Travel is back."

Lisa Henning, managing director of Inspire Europe, said the announcement "showed the government has finally understood that the link between travel and spread [of Covid] is massively reduced. "We experienced strong sales on the back of the last announcement, and this news should have a further positive impact on sales going forward," said Henning.

“However, we still need to be mindful of the guidelines that remain in place for the non-vaccinated and that there continues to be remaining restrictions in the US and many of the key European countries. Hopefully, given this latest update from the UK government, these important holiday markets will now look to relax the rules for travellers.”