Vacation redux: British tourists return to Portugal beaches

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — British vacationers have begun arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal for the first time in more than a year. The governments of the United Kingdom and Portugal eased their pandemic travel restrictions after a significant fall in new COVID-19 cases. More than 5,000 tourists were expected on 17 U.K. flights in Portugal’s southern Algarve region on Monday, the first day nonessential travel was allowed. The arrivals brightened the outlook for Portugal’s crucial tourism sector, especially the Algarve coast which relies heavily on the U.K. market. Arriving tourists need to show a negative PCR test for COVID-19 taken within the previous 72 hours.