Malta added to UK green travel list
Igaming hub still requires UK travellers to be fully vaccinated as corridor of travel reopens for industry executives
Malta has been added to the UK government’s green travel list.
The Mediterranean industry hub will be open to free travel for UK citizens from 4am GMT on Wednesday 30 June after meeting the government’s criteria to be reclassified.
Malta now joins fellow licensing hotspot Gibraltar on the UK’s green travel list.
UK citizens returning from green-listed countries do not have to quarantine on their return to the UK but must take a Covid-19 test before they arrive in the country.
Returning citizens must also take a second Covid-19 test either on arrival in the UK or within a 48-hour period of returning.
Malta was the only country in the travel update to be guaranteed green-list status, with the likes of the Balearics, Madeira and several Caribbean islands placed on the green watchlist – a signal that these countries are at risk of moving from green to amber.
The next review of the government’s travel restrictions will be revealed on 15 July.
However, despite the authorisation from the UK government to travel, the Maltese government has confirmed all arrivals from the UK must present proof of full vaccination if they are to enter the island.
The news of Malta’s green-list certification follows a difficult week in which the island was greylisted by the Financial Action Task Force over AML concerns.
EGR spoke to several Malta-based igaming figures for their reaction to the lifting of the UK travel ban.
RB Capital co-founder Julian Buhagiar
This is a much-needed and welcomed shot-in-the-arm for Malta, and especially the gaming and fintech communities, which brings a positive end to an otherwise bad news week.
It is now upon the governments of both countries to rapidly finalise a plan to accept both UK and EU vaccine certificates to reduce friction on business travel at least across the rest of Europe. That way, not only will it be easy to facilitate on-site business meetings in respective countries but also hopefully restart the ailing conference industry and meet-ups that have been sorely missed.
EveryMatrix CEO Ebbe Groes
This is nice for Malta tourism, but for business travel and EveryMatrix, the new EU Digital Covid passport coming in July is way more significant.
Of course, we are looking forward to meeting partners from the UK in Malta this summer. Still, I think a return to more normal times will happen once everyone can travel freely for business and leisure anywhere and anytime in the world.
Catena Media head of esports Gianfranco Capozzi
Personally, I believe it is quite a positive note as cross-professional exchanges between Malta and the UK are commonplace. However, several companies, especially in the igaming and the digital world, are implementing a hybrid set-up, allowing employees to work remotely, even to relocate in different parts of the world.
Now that it’s summertime, the prospect of adding Malta to the green travel list gives a glimmer of hope for travellers and digital nomads, especially after the hassle caused by Brexit and the very recent greylisting of Malta by the FATF.