Barbados’ pandemic-hit tourism industry suffered another setback today when the UK failed to add this country to its green travel list.

Britain is Barbados’ biggest travel market and recovery of the sector depends heavily on Britons returning here in large numbers.

Three weeks ago when Barbados was placed on the amber list tourism officials said it meant Britons returning home from here would be subjected to such onerous quarantine protocols that it would discourage them from visiting.

Ahead of today’s announcement of the revised UK travel list there was eager anticipation that Barbados would be elevated to the green category.

However, amid fears over the global spread of the Indian covid-19 variant UK Transport Secretary Grant Chapps announced that no new countries would be added to the green list and indeed that some would be taken off.

He said, safety comes above all other considerations and home drums beat first.

The red list will expand from Tuesday to include Trinidad and Tobago, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Sudan.

People arriving in the UK from these destinations will be required to stay in a quarantine hotel for 10 days at a fixed cost of 1 thousand, 750 pounds per adult.

Barbados remains in the amber list.