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The article below is an excerpt from Simon Calder<\/a>\u2019s travel newsletter<\/a>. To get the latest from Simon delivered straight to your inbox, simply enter your email address in the box above.<\/p>\n Isolation is not always splendid. Five years ago this week I awoke in the Heathrow Novotel<\/a>, one of the strip of hotels north of the runways. I had checked in for the final night before this unremarkable property became a quarantine hotel \u2013 complete with security guards to ensure none of the guests made a break for it. I checked out on 15 February shortly before the first involuntary inmates from \u201cred list\u201d nations arrived. They paid \u00a31,750 for an all-inclusive package: 10 nights\u2019 accommodation, three meals a day and two Covid tests.<\/p>\n For almost the rest of that miserable pandemic year, travellers arriving from countries regarded as high risk were incarcerated. The system unravelled shortly before Christmas 2021. \u201cI\u2019ve had nine walk out on me so far,\u201d a guard at the Gatwick Sofitel told me in mid-December<\/a>. \u201cThey face a \u00a310,000 fine but the police aren\u2019t interested.\u201d MPs on the Transport Select Committee later found \u201cno evidence\u201d that hotel quarantine provided the slightest benefit compared with self-isolation at home. What a difference five years makes. Yesterday Accor, parent company of Novotel, reported that revenue per available room \u2013 RevPAR, the key metric in the hotel industry \u2013 rose 4.2 per cent to \u20ac76 (\u00a366). People seem much happier when they are free to travel where they wish.<\/p>\n Anticipation is a much more positive emotion than hindsight. I look forward to testing out the new visa-free access to China<\/a> on a trip to Chengdu in the west of the People\u2019s Republic next month \u2013 and hope the key local attraction, officially known as Siguniangshan Scenic Spot, is easier to enjoy than it is to pronounce.<\/p>\n The decision by Beijing to open up to British (and Canadian) passport holders will be transformative. Now that the barricade of red tape has been dismantled, organised cultural tours will continue in much the same way \u2013 but China<\/a> will see a surge in backpackers, keen to explore a low-cost country that until this week was too tricky and expensive to consider. No hidden extras, either: on my last trip to the Chinese resort city of Qingdao, the Sea View Garden Hotel instructed guests: \u201cYour satisfaction is the greatest praise to us, please don\u2019t give tips to our staff.\u201d I recall no sign like that along Isolation Row at Heathrow.<\/p>\n As China eases its rules for British visitors, the red tape for travellers to the UK is getting ever more tangled. From next Wednesday, 25 February, the electronic travel authorisation will be mandatory for all travellers arriving in the United Kingdom except for British and Irish citizens. For UK dual nationals who only have a passport issued by another country, this presents a problem. They are not allowed to apply for an ETA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Up to now, the government has insisted that only a valid British passport or a \u201cCertificate of Entitlement\u201d costing \u00a3589 will allow a dual citizen to be admitted. The change has caused consternation for many people who happen to have UK citizenship but whose lives \u2013 and passports \u2013 are located elsewhere. They are scrabbling to acquire the required documentation. But this morning it has emerged that airlines can accept a valid foreign passport plus a UK passport that was issued anything up to 37 years ago<\/a> in lieu of a current British passport.<\/p>\n I advise all travellers to observe all border regulations at all times. But I suspect that some of the 1.2 million UK dual nationals estimated to be resident abroad will still travel on ETAs, even though they are not supposed to apply for them. They will bet that airlines and ferry firms \u2013 the organisations with the hapless task of enforcing the new rules \u2013 will be content with proof that the passenger possesses a valid passport and apparently legitimate ETA. In a time-pressured pre-departure environment, if the computer says \u201cyes\u201d when presented with the traveller’s foreign passport, the transport operators will not diligently go on to investigate whether that person has British citizenship by birth or descent.<\/p>\n I cannot envisage any passenger being told: \u201cYou can’t enter the UK because you are British.\u201d A few transgressors may be identified on arrival when a UK Border Force officer chooses to examine their passport. But most people who decide to infringe the rules will probably get away with it by whizzing through the eGates.<\/p>\n Sign up for Simon\u2019s newsletter<\/strong><\/p>\n Simon Calder\u2019s exclusive twice-weekly travel newsletter for The Independent is packed with insight, inspiration and trusted advice to help you explore better.<\/p>\n The newsletter is your guide to planning smarter journeys: from finding the best low-impact ways to get around to choosing destinations that benefit local communities.<\/p>\n Each Friday and Sunday, you\u2019ll receive a curated digest of the biggest developments in travel, along with unbeatable deals, destination ideas, and my expert tips on where, when and how to go.<\/p>\n To sign up, simply enter your email address in the box at the top of this article.<\/p>\n