British holidaymakers have returned to the sun-soaked beaches of Portugal, as the country seeks to revive its battered tourism industry after lifting travel restrictions that had been imposed to curb Covid-19.
Portugal imposed a strict two-month lockdown earlier this year to control a new wave of Covid-19 infections. It lifted restrictions on visitors from Britain and most European Union countries today.
Bea Wilkinson, a waitress from the northern English city of Manchester, spoke of her delight to have arrived on the first flight to Faro, on Portugal's southern Algarve coast.
"I've been at home for five months. The restrictions were really hard, and there's the constant rain," said Ms Wilkinson, as she sat at a cafe in the village of Alvor.
"With the pictures I posted, everybody at home will be coming here," she joked as a radiant sun shone and temperatures hit 30C.
Barry Thompson, a 63-year-old retired policeman from Manchester who landed in Faro with his wife and 11-year-old son, recalled good times in the region before the pandemic.
"It's nice to get away and be back here," Mr Thompson said, 11 years after his first visit to the Algarve. "We're very excited."
Some 30 flights from the UK were expected in Portugal today, including 17 taking around 5,500 passengers to Faro.
"We were desperate to come back. It's fantastic," said Diane Healy, who owns a property in Lagos, a coastal town west of Faro.
"I'm over the moon. It's wonderful to be back."
The lifting of restrictions came after England placed Portugal on its "green list" of countries to visit without having to self-isolate on returning home.
Thousands of English football fans are also expected later this month for the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea in Porto on 29 May.
British tourists can now visit Portugal as long as they show a negative PCR test result for Covid-19 at most 72 hours before boarding the plane.
Also today, across England, Wales and most of Scotland, indoor hospitality in pubs, restaurants and cafés returned and cinemas, museums and sports venues opened their doors for the first time in months.
But easing of indoor hospitality will not come effect until 24 May for Northern Ireland.
