Cheap Portugal villa holidays and all inclusive hotels – as UK okays travel to the green list country from May 17

PORTUGAL has had a welcome tourism boost after it was announced that the country had made it onto the travel green list last week.

And despite a surge in bookings for the destination, the country is nowhere near fully booked, with plenty of deals still on villas and all-inclusive hotels.

This article contains affiliate links and if you click a link and buy a product we may earn revenue

Grant Shapps announced on May 7 the long-awaited list of where Brits can go on holiday later this month - without having to quarantine on their return.

Portugal was on the green list, along with 12 other destinations, including Gibraltar, Israel and Iceland.

Since the announcement, holiday companies have reported a bookings surge, including , who said that holidays to Portugal had soared by 250 per cent compared with a week earlier. 

Despite the strong demand, many tour operators have still slashed the prices of holidays in the fight for Brit holidaymakers. 

It means that those keen to jet off to Portugal can snag a bargain on luxury getaways this summer. Here are some of the best deals:

• Jet2 Holidays June 7-night Villa holiday based on four-sharing
• TUI Algarve villa holidays in May & June
• Stay One Degree villa in Algarve, Faro
• Stay One Degree villa in Central Algarve 
• Stay One Degree villa in Comporta, Grandola
• Oliver's Travel weekly villa rental in Portugal  
• James Villas weekly villa rental in Portugal
• Jet2 Holidays Yellow Alvor Garden Hotel all-inclusive 7-night stay in July
• Easyjet Holidays Alvor Bais Hotel all-inclusive 7-night stay in June
• TUI Be Live Family Palmeiras Village all-inclusive 7-night stay in June
• Thomas Cook Jupiter Albufeira Hotel all-inclusive 7-night stay in July
• British Airways Holidays 7-night all inclusive holidays in the Algarve
• VRBO villa in Vale Centeanes, Faro District, Portugal
• VRBO Villa Prazeres in Madeira, Portugal
• VRBO villa with coastal view in Faro District, Portugal
• VRBO spacious villa with ocean view in Madeira, Portugal

The government’s publication of its traffic light system has sparked a scramble for flights and hotel bookings - with Brits allowed to travel abroad for the first time this year from May 17.

Brits won't have to quarantine on their return from green list countries, but will still need a negative Covid test before returning to the UK, and one on day two.

Portugal will be opening to Brits from mid-May, but they are likely to initially require Brits to be fully vaccinated or have a negative Covid test to enter, as confirmed by Portugal's tourism minister Rita Marques.

Families will not have to quarantine on arrival. This includes the islands - Azores and Madeira too.

Online searches for the Portugal, which has one of Europe’s lowest infection rates, have risen by 115 per cent. 

Gibraltar, which is also on the green list, has seen bookings double.

Brit tourist favourites France, Greece and Spain are not yet on the green list, meaning Brits will have to wait until at least June 7 to find if they can go on holiday there this summer.

If you're looking for more foreign holiday inspiration, we've found cheap all inclusive holidays for this summer and there are many cheap package holidays.

For breaks in the UK, holiday parks are offering huge bargains and we've found the best UK holiday parks with children’s entertainment and the best holiday parks with outdoor pools.

We've also rounded up great deals in the UK's warmest places and found the best kid-friendly beaches and England's best family-friendly seaside towns.

This article and any featured products have been independently chosen by The Sun journalists. All recommendations within the article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click a link and buy a product we may earn revenue: this helps to support The Sun, and in no way affects our recommendations.