Malta will introduce tighter Covid-19 rules today, banning British visitors who are not fully vaccinated in an effort to prevent the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, the health ministry said.

Unvaccinated children under 12 can enter with an adult, but the move will effectively prevent British families with teenagers from holidaying in one of the few destinations on Britain's “green list” for quarantine-free travel.

Malta has recorded just one case of the Delta variant, first identified in India, but fears this number will rise after Britain put it on the green list last week, Reuters reports.

Britain is the biggest source market for tourists to Malta, accounting for more than a third of arrivals, and the green list announcement by London was welcomed by Maltese hoteliers.