British holidaymakers were on Friday given the green light to fly to Portugal from Monday, sparking joy in both countries.
Portugal confirmed that it will reopen its borders to tourists from the UK with negative PCR tests next week.
The country has ignored EU guidance to ban tourists from non-bloc countries from visiting until at least next month.
And UK holiday firms have experienced huge demand.
Paul Charles, chief executive of The PC Agency, said: “Well done to Portugal for making it happen. We need to see a wider green list from June.”
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(Image: Phil Harris)
The news was greeted with delight in the Algarve, where more than 20 UK flights are due to land on Monday, with the local temperature set to hit 26C.
Saturday, FA Cup Final day, is usually frantic at O’Daly’s pub in Albufeira but only a handful of expats will be sipping pints.
Not that it bothers owner Ricardo Pimpao, 33, who knows tourists are on their way.
(Image: Phil Harris)
“We’re calling it Manic Monday,” he said.
“We’ve waited a long time for it. It would have been nice to have them for the football but we can wait another couple of days.
“We’re opening at 9am and want people to come straight from the airport for a pint.”
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Ricardo and co-owner Miguel Oliviera took over the Irish pub last October but have hardly been open. “It has been very difficult,” said Ricardo.
“Now we are waiting with our fingers crossed that the Brits arrive next week. We first heard it on the news and we were cheering.”
Albufeira is the party capital of the Algarve but it has been a ghost town for many months.
(Image: Phil Harris)
Now Joao Fernandes, the region’s tourism president, has declared: “We’re ready and waiting.”
He told British holidaymakers: “The sun is shining, the beaches are looking beautiful and the golf courses are manicured.
“Our bars and restaurants are ready to serve you with the freshest seafood and excellent Portuguese wine.
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“We have missed our British friends. They make up about 44% of our visitors so they were greatly missed.
“We have all the necessary health and safety measures in place, so visitors don’t need to worry.”
Beach assistants will help keep people two metres apart and there is no lack of signage.
(Image: Phil Harris)
Mr Fernandes said: “The main thing is for people to enjoy the sunshine, some good food and family time after a long winter of restrictions.”
Everywhere you look in Albufeira, business owners are sprucing up their venues.
Beer delivery trucks squeeze through the Old Town’s streets and halt traffic on the famous party strip.
(Image: Phil Harris)
Carlos and Eduarda Fernandes run souvenir shop Sol de Barro close to the sandy beach but almost went bust during lockdown.
“There’s nobody here to buy anything,” said Carlos, 63. “Yesterday we didn’t sell a thing all day.”
He is also excited about the British. “We have waited a long time. It’s the families we want to see most.
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“It has been sad to see Albufeira all closed but I’m smiling because it feels like Covid is ending.”
Cathy Jump, landlady of Charlies Bar, said the past few months had been “brutal”.
She is praying for British tourists to arrive in time for the peak holiday season.
(Image: Phil Harris)
“Monday is going to be emotional when I see those first Brits walk through the doors,” she said. “It’s been awful. We had a few tourists last summer but then none.
“We’ve only been allowed to open for the past two weeks between 10am and 10pm.
There’s apparently a meeting being held this weekend to decide if those hours can be extended.
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“But I’m just delighted I can open at all. I’m stocked up on booze and ready to see my old regulars.
“A few have already said they are flying over asap.”
Down the coast, business owners in Praia da Luz are also preparing.
Hans Neauwburg, owner of ZaZu and Boaty’s restaurants, said: “We have reservations for next week and can’t wait to see all our British friends.”
Katy Bauval, of the Vila Vita Parc hotel in Porches, said it had been “absolute madness” in terms of bookings from the UK.
Pestana, Portugal’s largest hotel chain, also confirmed a “very substantial increase” in bookings.
Another big draw in the area is golf and the Dom Pedro Pinhal golf course in Vilamoura is opening on Monday, with greens-keepers including Jose Borges working round the clock.
Tourism chiefs are predicting a “trickle” of visitors in the first week but for businesses in the Algarve, it’s the start of what they hope is a long-awaited return to normal.