Category: Europe

Italy has opened its churches, cafes, restaurants and bars, as it continues to relax its lockdown rules. Italians are once again out in the open, sipping cappuccino and gulping down cold beers, while of course keeping away from other customers as part of social distancing norms. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said gyms and cinemas would soon be able to welcome the public again, as the government seeks to restart economic activity. “We’re facing a calculated risk in the knowledge that the contagion curve may rise again,” Conte said during a televised address. “We have to accept it otherwise we ... Read more

Hundreds of skiers hit the slopes at Slovenia’s highest ski resort on Sunday after it reopened following a coronavirus lockdown that lasted nearly two months, news agency Reuters has reported. Slovenia became the first European country on Thursday to declare an official end to its coronavirus epidemic. The small mountainous country of around two million people has so far reported 1,466 coronavirus cases and 104 deaths. Slovenes still have to respect social distancing and are obliged to wear face masks in indoor public spaces as well as disinfect their hands when entering such areas. There were about 200 skiers at ... Read more

Greece is getting ready to present its overall plan for reviving tourism in the post Covid-19 era. This will commence with the announcement of the health protocols for safe operation of air, ferry and road transport in Greece, government spokesman Stelios Petsas has said. The government is drawing up a plan to deal with the impact of coronavirus pandemic, aiming to cushion, as much as possible, the “inevitably large” losses expected for this year’s tourism season. Petsas said the goal was to make the most of the “new common framework” with the guidelines and recommendations presented by the European Commission. ... Read more

Italy will reopen to tourists from early June and scrap a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, the government said on Saturday, as it quickened the country’s exit from the coronavirus lockdown. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte enforced an economically-crippling shutdown in early March to counter a global pandemic which official records show has killed over 31,500 people in the country. The shutdown has effectively ended all holidaymaking in a country heavily dependent on the tourism industry. Although Italy never formally closed its borders, and has allowed people to cross back and forth for work or health reasons, it banned movement for ... Read more

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has designated Spanish football legend and World Cup winner Iker Casillas as its special ambassador for responsible tourism. In a virtual ceremony announcing his appointment, the goalkeeper pledged to promote the universal benefits of tourism. The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, presented Casillas with a special plaque and thanked him for supporting tourism at a critical time when the sector has taken a hard hit and millions of jobs could be lost. Pololikashvili said: “Sport and tourism foster the best of humanity. They promote the shared values of solidarity, teamwork and excellence. ... Read more

The French government will join forces with the tourism industry to build an Internet site aimed winning back customers from U.S. online travel giants such as Airbnb Inc. and Booking Holdings Inc. Bloomberg has reported that the initiative is part of government-led stimulus package to revive tourism in one of the world’s top destinations as hotels, restaurants, theme parks as well as travel sites and tour operators are among the hardest hits by lockdowns and restrictions to fight the global coronavirus pandemic. “This sector has been very much de-intermediated by the large U.S. platforms, Airbnb, Booking.com,” Eric Lombard, the head ... Read more

The European Commission has come up with a set of  guidelines and recommendations to help member states gradually lift travel restrictions and allow tourism businesses to reopen, after months of lockdown, while respecting necessary health precautions. The Commission’s guidance aims to offer people the chance to get some well-needed rest, relaxation and fresh air. As soon as the health situation allows, people should be able to catch up with friends and family, in their own EU country or across borders, with all the safety and precautionary measures needed in place. The package also aims to help the EU tourism sector recover ... Read more

France has decided to pump in €18 billion (US$19 billion) to support its tourism sector, in one of the biggest relief packages the industry has seen across the globe. The tourism sector has been hammered by the COVID-19 crisis, resulting in worldwide shutdown of beaches, leisure attractions and hotels. Businesses with just 20 employees and €2 million in annual revenue in the tourism, hotel and restaurant sector will also be able to tap a solidarity fund until the end of the year, to receive grants of up to €10,000. Nearly 90 million foreign tourists had visited France in 2019, making ... Read more

Greece’s premier vacation island, Santorini, may acquire a new look soon. While preparing to open up for a post COVID-19 summer tourism season with increased hygiene standards, resorts and bars in Santorini may have a new guest in the form of plexiglass screens. A Santorini bar owner has already taken an independent step when he surrounded the bar’s beachside lounge chairs with plexiglass screens for increased protection, Reuters reported. Demilmar, the famous bar located at Santorini’s famous black sand beach of Perissa, came up with the idea to encase lounge chairs in plexiglass. The bar management said it didn’t want ... Read more

Greece is looking to reopen the country to tourists from July onwards, as it looks to kick-start its economy again after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Tourism accounts for up to 12% of Greece’s GDP, with revenues of $20 billion in 2019. Greece went under lockdown on March 23 and is looking to lift restrictions from Monday, while hotels will be allowed to reopen on June 1. Greece is regarded as one of the most preferred travel destinations in the world. “We do want people to come to Greece,” Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said in an interview with ... Read more

Switzerland Tourism, while encouraging travelers across the world to stay home and stay safe, has launched a new campaign — #dreamnowtravellater — to keep hope afloat in travelers across the world, giving them something to look forward to when the pandemic is finally behind us. Under normal circumstances, most of us right now would be diligently planning our summer vacations this year, but these are not normal times. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across major parts of the world, many countries are doing what they can to keep their citizens safe. Restrictions on domestic and global travel is one of ... Read more

The Alpine ski resort of Ischgl, which was the epicentre of Austria’s biggest cluster of coronavirus infections, has decided to move away from “party tourism”. The resort was under quarantine for a month. Ischgl is near the point where Austria, Italy and Switzerland meet and has often described itself as the “Ibiza of the Alps”. It is now clear that more than 800 cases spread across Austria can be traced back to the resort and the surrounding Paznaun Valley. In February and early March the virus found a breeding ground in crowded apres-ski bars. Hundreds of foreign tourists were infected ... Read more

British Airways had decided to temporarily suspend more than 30,000 of its cabin crew and ground staff, following the corona virus outbreak. The airline, which has grounded most of its fleet, has been locked in talks with unions for more than a week. BA boss Alex Cruz told staff that a large majority of employees would be suspended for the next two months. He said the government’s job retention scheme would fund 80% of their wages. Explaining the decision, Cruz said: “We need to act now to protect jobs and ensure that BA comes out the other side of this ... Read more

Le Bijou, a luxury hotel chain in Switzerland, is offering a quarantine package to its guests that includes in-room corona virus testing, doctor visits and 24-hour nursing care. Le Bijou is a part hotel, part serviced apartments company, and operates its luxury accommodation across Switzerland in cities including Zurich, Geneva and Basel. Switzerland, which shares a border with Northern Italy, was impacted early. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, Le Bijou already catered for a very exclusive clientele, playing host to the likes of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Jordan Belfort and even the Saudi Royal Family, charging ... Read more

No wonder tourists always flocked to Finland. The country has once again been crowned as the world’s happiest country, with Denmark and Switzerland in second and third sports respectively, according to a United Nations-affiliated research network. Finnish contentment stems from high levels of trust, which also underpins solid rankings across the rest of the Nordic region, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network said in the World Happiness Report released on Friday. Reliable and extensive welfare benefits, low corruption, and well-functioning democracy and state institutions are also key, as are a high sense of autonomy and freedom reported by their citizens. As ... Read more