Malta has not made a list of countries that English tourists can freely travel to without having to quarantine on their return. 

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the 'green list' of countries safe for English citizens to travel to on Friday evening, with Malta not among 12 destinations approved for holiday-makers at this time.

The full list of countries is:

• Portugal including the Azores and Madeira,
• Australia,
• New Zealand,
• Singapore,
• Brunei,
• Iceland,
• Faroe Islands,
• Gibraltar,
• Falkland Islands,
• Israel. 

The list will be reviewed in three weeks.

British media are reporting Malta has been rated amber instead, meaning arrivals must self-isolate at home for 10 days, or fewer if they record a negative COVID-19 test after five days.

The announcement will come as a shock to Malta's hard-hit tourism industry, which has been gearing up to welcome tourists from the UK - traditionally Malta's biggest tourism market. 

However, that disappointment might be eased by news from Germany, which declared on Friday that Malta is 'no longer a risk area' for COVID-19. 

The UK's rules are be based on a traffic light system, with countries rated green, amber or red based on their COVID-19 risk factor.

Portugal, which has 60 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last fourteen days, made it on to the list, while Malta, with 64 cases per 100,000 inhabitants did not. 

Malta also has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. 

English citizens currently face fines for holiday travel abroad, and must have a valid reason for overseas trips.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland meanwhile, have not yet said when they might ease their strict travel rules.

According to the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown, international travel is to resume for British citizens on May 17. 

The list will be updated regularly so Malta still could be cleared for travel at a later stage. 

Being on the list would have meant tourists coming to the island will not have to quarantine upon their return home, making it a far more attractive holiday destination for the upcoming summer season.

Earlier on Friday, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo hinted that there were "indications" Malta would make the cut.   

Maltese tourism authorities have been in talks with their British counterparts in a bid to generate interest in travel this summer.

The government has been working on creating mutually-recognised vaccine certificates to facilitate travel between Malta and the UK. 

Minister Bartolo had previously said that the UK will be a big focus for the COVID-battered industry this summer, with marketing campaigns specifically targeting British tourists and some of the main UK travel agencies.

The government has also allocated a €20 million aid package to kickstart the devastated tourism industry, which over the past year had been brought to its knees by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the UK, flight prices and holiday bookings have reportedly climbed in anticipation of the list of countries to which British holiday-makers can travel without having to quarantine afterwards.

In April, after months of being on Malta's red list, the UK was moved to the amber list, meaning travel between the two countries is now allowed. 

Those flying to the island, however, must present either proof they have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days or a negative COVID-19 test result. 

For now, the documents are to presented by travellers upon arrival in Malta although Health Minister Chris Fearne has said this procedure will soon change. 

Instead, those flying to the island must present either of the two documents before boarding a plane or a ship. 

In a tweet just after the list was issued, Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola said that Malta's hospitality and tourism sector, as well as all the families dependent on it, will be devastated that the country has been left out.