French tourism chiefs instruct Macron to lift travel ban on UK holidays

French tourism chiefs said last night Emmanuel Macron lifted the travel ban on holidaymakers in the UK and accused him of punishing the industry for deteriorating ties with the UK.

Earlier, the French president had imposed austerity measures against British tourists Christmas, which claims to have stopped the spread Omicron variant.

Senior industry representatives in the English Channel said several holiday and ski resorts are facing an economic “catastrophe” this month if the ban is not lifted.

It comes when the state public health agency admitted yesterday that Omicron is now the most prevalent variant in France. Omicron yesterday helped raise the number of infections to a record 232,000 new cases, putting even more pressure on Mr Macron to withdraw.

Francois Badjily, head of the Alpe d’Huez tourist office, suggested that France play with politics in a pandemic. “We have the impression that our industry is forced to pay the price for the bad relations between the two countries at the moment, be it Brexit or fisheries or something else,” he said.

Mr Badjily said the current rules are inconsistent because fully vaccinated tourists from other countries where the Omicron strain is already present can visit.

Vaccine passports are required to enter French holiday destinations such as ski resorts, as well as restaurants, bars and leisure facilities.

The Alpe d’Huez attracts a quarter of visitors from the UK each year, and Mr Badjily added: “Why shouldn’t a Briton who meets these criteria come and a Frenchman and a Belgian can?”

Christophe Lavaut, director of the Val d’Isere ski resort, also called on officials in Paris to repeal the “compelling reason to travel” directive, which prevented holidaymakers from coming to France. “This restriction should simply be lifted as it is no longer needed,” he added.

Senior industry officials in the English Channel say several holiday and ski resorts are facing an economic “catastrophe” this month unless the ban is lifted

At least 42 percent of Val d’Isere’s parties are British, said Lavaut, who called on his government to take action “in early January”. Mr Macron’s travel measures created chaos and sowed confusion throughout all of the Christmas holidays.

Earlier this week, border police even prevented Britons legally residing in the EU from returning to their homes – French officials at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkeston said they were not allowed to cross France for health reasons.

But the EU’s top disease agency said in a report last month that Omicron travel restrictions only “help buy valuable time in the first days of discovery”, adding that in countries already experiencing community-based transmission, “such measures are unlikely to be important for a long time “.

The French government did not respond to Mail’s request for comment. Germany will withdraw Britain from its travel red list on Tuesday after its government acknowledged that Omicron is already widely present in the country.