Industry experts have issued a series of dire warning about the likely impact of mooted plans to quarantine arrivals in hotels for up to ten days.
Some travellers coming to England will have to quarantine in hotels, amid concerns about new Covid variants, the government is expected to announce.
Prime minister, Boris Johnson, is expected to decide after discussing the proposals with senior ministers later.
Most foreign nationals from high-risk countries are already denied UK entry so the new rules will mainly affect returning UK citizens and residents.
Quarantine rules are set by each of the UK nations but tend to be similar.
Ahead of the move, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has said the introduction would force the “complete collapse of tourism as we know it”.
The concern follows nine months of devastating travel restrictions, which has left scores of businesses crushed, millions of jobs lost or put at risk, and confidence to travel at an all-time low.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC president, said: “The UK tourism sector is in a fight for survival – it is that simple.
“With the sector in such a fragile state, the introduction of hotel quarantines by the UK government could force