Spain’s tourism minister has said the country is "desperate to welcome" UK visitors this summer.

Fernando Valdes told Sky News: "I think we will be ready here in Spain.

"We also think that the vaccination scheme in the UK is going pretty well, so hopefully we’ll be seeing this summer the restart of holidays."

He added that certificates enabling holidaymakers to prove they have either been vaccinated or recently tested are "going to help us".

It comes amid reports the UK will launch Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine passports next month.

On Tuesday, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam flew to Israel to examine the country’s vaccine passport system.

Meanwhile, Greece has said its tourism services will open on May 15 when a ban on travel between different regions of the country will also be lifted.

It comes as the government aims to provide official proof of vaccination for millions of British holidaymakers this summer – starting as early as May 17.

The Telegraph reports a government official told travel bosses on the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group: "We aim to give people the ability to prove their vaccine status by the time international travel restarts where other countries require it."

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At present all foreign holidays from the UK are illegal, but ministers say they hope to lift the ban and allow journeys abroad from May 17.

Many nations have said that official evidence of vaccination from tourists will enable or smooth visits.

The plan revealed just 26 days before the expected resumption of international travel, comes as southern European nations advanced their ideas for attracting British holidaymakers.

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A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We are working on a solution to enable residents to prove their Covid-19 status, including vaccination status, to other countries on the outbound leg.

"We are working on this as a priority and intend to have the solution ready as soon as possible."

The Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group is run by VisitBritain.

Its website says it promotes inbound tourism to the UK and comprises of "key tourism industry associations and organisations, as well as relevant government departments".

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