Because the government has relaxed COVID restrictions, unvaccinated Britons will be able more easily to travel to Spain for summer vacations.

Visitors from the UK or other countries outside the EU will now have to meet the same health standards as those in the Schengen region.

Visitors will be asked to present either their immunization certificates, a negative test for PCR, or a certificate proving they have recovered from coronavirus in the past 180 days.

Children younger than 12 years old are not required to present any certificates.

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Reyes Maroto, Spain’s minister of tourism, said that this was “excellent news” and that it would facilitate the entry of tourists from the EU to ensure safe travels in high season.

It is the Spanish tourist board in London that reversed its April decision to open the country up to British tourists unvaccinated.

The board announced that Spain would accept all UK tourists with immediate effect. Those who are not vaccinated against COVID will be allowed to enter the country with a negative pre departure test.

The board’s deputy director said that the announcement was a miscommunication due to a misinterpretation of rules in a bulletin from the Spanish health department.

Spain is still the most popular destination for British tourists. The country welcomed 18.1 million people from the UK in 2019, an average of 50,000 per day.

The COVID pandemic caused a drop in tourist numbers. Spain also imposed additional strict entry requirements, insisting that all visitors aged 12 and older had been fully vaccinated.