Forty-seven countries have been removed from the Government’s red list in one of the biggest reopenings of foreign travel since the start of the pandemic.

       Only seven countries will remain on the list which requires travellers to be quarantined in a hotel on their return to the UK at a cost of ￡2,285 per person.

       Ministers also abandoned plans to force holidaymakers to video themselves taking tests after a backlash from the travel industry, which argued that it would be costly and a logistical nightmare for families.

       The Government is confident that the more expensive PCR tests will be scrapped in time for October half term, with families allowed to use cheaper lateral flow tests when they return to the UK.

       Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, said: “With half-term and winter sun around the corner, we’re making it easier for families and loved ones to reunite, by significantly cutting the number of destinations on the red list, thanks in part to the increased vaccination efforts around the globe.”

       Winter sun destinations including Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, Seychelles, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Brazil and Bali in Indonesia will be removed from the red list at 4am on Monday, as will popular safari resorts in Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia.

       The seven countries remaining on the red list are Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Haiti, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

       Nine of the 47 countries, including Argentina and Uruguay, remain closed to Britons unless they have exceptional reasons to travel to them. There are also growing fears the US will maintain its ban on British holidaymakers until Thanksgiving at the end of November.

       Mr Shapps succeeded in killing off Department of Health proposals for fully jabbed travellers to video themselves taking lateral flow tests while supervised by a health adviser from a private firm.

       Holidaymakers will now only be required to send a picture of their test kit result, possibly with ID such as a passport.

       Travellers will have to book their tests before flying, as happens now with PCRs, and include the test kit number on the passenger locator forms which allow people into the UK.

       The Department of Health and Social Care will be responsible for getting the new testing system in place by the start of the half term on Oct 23. Sources said it would be ready by the time families started to return at the end of October at the latest.

       Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, said: “Our robust border measures have helped protect the phenomenal progress of our vaccination programme, and it is because of this success both here and around the world that we can safely open up travel further and we can visit friends and family abroad.

       “We’re now making it easier and cheaper for people to travel by allowing fully vaccinated travellers from non-red list countries to use lateral flow tests on day two of arrival, as long as they provide proof of use.”

       The Government also announced it would recognise vaccines for arrivals from a further 37 countries and territories including Brazil, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Turkey.

       The decision means fully vaccinated people entering England from these locations will be exempt from quarantine, the pre-departure test and the day-eight post-arrival test.

       Only unvaccinated travellers now have to take a pre-departure test and then quarantine for 10 days on their return and pay for PCR tests on days two and eight of their return. The pre-departure test for double jabbed travellers was ditched on Oct 4.

       The latest moves follow the Foreign Office lifting its “ban” on non-essential travel to 32 countries including Fiji, Malaysia and Bangladesh. This ends the anomaly where its advice is out of kilter with the transport department’s travel lists.