Time to leave Omicron Valley

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( [Travel] Simon Calder’s Travel Week [Simon Calder]( Written by Simon Calder | February 11, 2022 Omicron Valley: not a new Greek destination deep in the Pelopponese, but a dip on the sales graph at Europe’s biggest travel business, Tui. I picked up the term from Tui’s chief executive, Fritz Joussen. It describes the slump in holiday bookings that happened at the start of December, when the Covid variant began its world-domination tour, followed by [a strong recovery](. This week, the “[competitive reopening](” race has begun, as nations battle to rescue what’s left of their tourism industries. Yet the usual favourites are being left behind. The destinations Mr Joussen picks out as thriving are Cape Verde (the Portuguese-speaking islands off the coast of West Africa), Mexico and Turkey. What they share in common are relatively light-touch rules. Arrivals to Turkey, for example, can demonstrate proof of jabs, recovery from Covid in the past six months or a negative test. Back to life: a festival in Madeira, where no jabs or tests are required from British travellers The lovely Portuguese island of Madeira now requires just a single online form, and, for unvaccinated visitors, a swift lateral flow test on arrival. After two years of keeping the world at bay, Australia surprised us all by announcing that just 10 days from now, on 21 February, [fully vaccinated travellers will be welcome](. Or will we? The invitation drew attention to the elephant in the federation: [Western Australia](, the giant state whose leaders are excluding visitors until everyone in WA has been boosted. Want to go to Perth? Make it the Scottish original, where the Salutation Hotel has been welcoming guests since 1699. Highland hosts: Salutation Hotel in Perth After the near-total collapse of inbound tourism to the UK, some much-missed foreign visitors may soon be checking in. Since four in the morning, fully vaccinated arrivals to the UK [no longer need to book a test in advance](. You will, though, need to complete a passenger locator form that weirdly still insists everyone needs a test booking. Ignore it. At 1pm today (Friday 11 February) I will be taking questions on the latest changes for an hour: you can pop your travel query in the Comments box at the end of [this article](. Inevitably, some readers will want to know about the increasingly intricate rules for visiting and enjoying France and Italy. For two years the rewards of travel have been smothered in a blanket of bureaucracy: red tape has had a good crisis. Apprehension still prevails over anticipation. Time to untangle restrictions and resume joyful travel. Time to leave Omicron Valley far behind. Destination of the week: Strawberry Field, Liverpool No one, I think, is in my tree: Strawberry Field in Liverpool John Lennon’s childhood haunt were the grounds of Strawberry Field, a children’s home near his family house in southeast Liverpool. After its closure, the mansion was eventually demolished – though the gates to the site became a regular stop on Beatles’ tours of the city. Just before the coronavirus pandemic the Salvation Army, which still owns the site, opened a visitor centre that tells the story of Strawberry Field – and includes Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for the song of (nearly) the same name. The piano on which he wrote and recorded Imagine is also on display. The grounds have been landscaped and decorated with sculptures and sayings. Admission £10.95, with proceeds used to care for young people in the community. Don’t miss my daily travel podcast [Green List Travel]( For all the latest travel tips, advice and news analysis, listen to ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available from Monday to Friday for free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. Deal of the week: Two Together Railcard - Ahead of St Valentine’s Day, it would be remiss not to mention the [Two Together railcard]( – which is designed for all those people in the 31-59 years cohort who cannot get access to an age-specific railcard. The catch is that this £30 annual card can only be used by the two people named and pictured on it, and they must travel together at all times to benefit from a 34 per cent reduction on each ticket. Yet profits can begin with the first journey: on an off-peak return between Manchester and London Euston, the total saving for a couple is £64. Travel voucher of the week [Voucher]( [Save £200 on summer holidays over £2000 using this TUI discount code]( Travel question of the week: Passport validity for Australia via Dubai Q I want to fly to Australia over Easter via Dubai. My passport was issued on 11 October 2012 and is valid until 11 July 2023, ie 10 years and nine months. My travel agent says that the “extra months” above 10 years do not count and has advised me to get a new one before trying to change flights in the UAE and entering Australia. Should I? A Don’t renew your passport; consider renewing your travel agent. The “extra months” issue has caused endless misery since the UK left the European Union – but it is only of relevance for EU nations. As far as I know no other countries have a problem with passports that are valid for over 10 years. So you have acres of validity left for your trip. Expiry contraventions would only start with the UAE, if you wanted to stop over, from 11 January 2023. But Australia has no minimum validity stipulation, and you could stay there up to 11 July 2023. Stories you might like [What are the latest travel rules for Spain this half-term?]( [What are the latest travel rules for Spain this half-term?]( [Arrival testing to end for fully vaccinated travellers to the UK]( Arrival testing to end for fully vaccinated travellers to the UK]( More stories [Can I travel to Spain from the UK? All the rules you need to know]( Can I travel to Spain from the UK? All the rules you need to know]( [Voters want government to cap price of food and essentials, poll finds]( Voters want government to cap price of food and essentials, poll finds]( Other newsletters you might like [Brexit and Beyond] Brexit and Beyond Every Thurday, 7am (UK time) Written by Adam Forrest [Join now >]( [Voices Dispatches] Voices Dispatches Every Saturday, 7am (UK time) Written by Victoria Richards [Join now >]( Let me know your thoughts on Twitter [@SimonCalder](. 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