Category: Europe

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has appointed two new special ambassadors as it leads the restart of the sector across Europe. UNWTO has named renowned fashion designer Giorgio Armani and celebrated chef Gino Sorbillo as its latest special ambassadors for tourism. In their new roles, both the special ambassadors will draw on their status and influence to promote the work of the United Nations specialized agency for responsible and sustainable tourism. As leaders in gastronomy and fashion, they represent two of Italy’s biggest economic sectors and two of the industries that contribute to making the country a global tourism leader. ... Read more

A small Italian town in Molise found itself overwhelmed by interest after offering free accommodation in a bid to attract tourists this summer. San Giovanni in Galdo – with a population of around 550 – received more than 2,000 applications from all over the world for a week’s stay in one of its traditional central Italian hill-top houses, Local Italy reports.  The village association announced it would offer up to 40 free holidays in one of the local homes left empty by depopulation and within days saw “hundreds and hundreds” of applications pour in, organisers said. In total over 2,000 ... Read more

Neighbours Spain and Portugal reopened their border on Wednesday to all travellers after a three-month closure to prevent the spread of coronavirus, bringing relief to local business owners who have struggled to make ends meet without tourism. “It has been miserable since we reopened in May. There are no customers,” Jose Valentim, a restaurant owner in the Portuguese border town of Elvas, told Reuters. “We hope that from today onwards some Spaniards will be able to come.” For Luis Pinheiro, a 53-year old construction supervisor who commutes across the border every day from the Spanish city of Badajoz to his ... Read more

Greek tourism is off to a great start. More than 230 flights landed in Greece on Wednesday, as the country reopened to tourists after four months of lockdown. According to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Administration (HCAA), Athens and Crete’s Heraklion airports had the most arrivals with 69 and 54 respectively, followed by Thessaloniki (23), Corfu (21), Chania (16), Rhodes (14), Mykonos (10), Kos (eight), Santorini (four), Skiathos, Aktio, Kefalonia, Samos (two each), and lastly, Kalamata Paros, and Karpathos (one each). Heraklion airport welcomed its first full flight from Hannover with live traditional Cretan music, Greek Travel Pages (GTP) reported. The island is expecting some ... Read more

The Mobile City Council on Tuesday approved the creation of the much awaited Mobile Tourism Improvement District (MTID) – the first in Alabama. Mobile is a port city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Visit Mobile, the city’s convention and visitors’ bureau, will implement MTID’s marketing initiatives. The city said it will increase its allocation to Visit Mobile for marketing purposes. The initiative will kick-off from today. “The Tourism Improvement District creates a significant platform to position Mobile as a top tourist destination,” said David Clark, Visit Mobile president and CEO. “Congratulations to our lodging partners for seven years of hard work ... Read more

The European Union on Tuesday extended a ban on travellers from the United States, India and most other countries, citing epidemiological factors for the decision. The countries were chosen based on certain criteria, including that the number of new cases over a 14-day period had to be “close to order below the EU average.” The countries also needed to have a “stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period.” The UK will be treated as part of the EU, according to the Council, until the end of the year. The UK currently has a mandatory quarantine period of 14 ... Read more

Malta is reopening its tourism from today, allowing visitors from 20 plus nations to enter the country without an isolation period. Restrictions on all other flight destinations will be lifted on July 15. The Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, announced that Malta’s International Airport too will resume commercial passenger flights from today.   Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast. It’s a nation known for historic sites related to a succession of rulers including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British. It is also famous for its numerous fortresses, megalithic temples and ... Read more

The European Union is edging toward finalising a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again in coming days, with Americans almost certain to be excluded in the short term due to the number of U.S. coronavirus cases. Spain’s foreign minister said that the list could contain 15 countries that are not EU members and whose citizens would be allowed to visit from July 1. EU diplomats confirmed that the list would be made public on Tuesday. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity to the news agency Associated Press (AP) because the procedure is ongoing ... Read more

Greece will not be accepting direct flights from the UK and Sweden until July 15, it was announced on Monday. The announcement followed a meeting chaired by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, ahead of Greece reopening airports to international flights on Wednesday, July 1. Regarding which non-European Union travellers will be allowed entry as of July 1, Greece intends to follow the list expected to be released soon by European officials, a statement by the PM’s press office said. The list will include the countries whose travellers will be allowed in when the EU’s external borders are reopened on July 1, Greek ... Read more

Cyprus has temporarily reduced VAT charges from 9% to 5% for hotels, restaurants and taxi transport. The move is intended to support the tourism industry with a boost in revenues – but the reduction is not likely to be passed on to the customer, the Cyprus Mail has reported. The rate reduction will be applicable for the period from July 1, 2020 to January 10, 2021. The change only applies to the following services, according to Deloitte Cyprus: a)       Accommodation in hotels, tourist accommodation and similar areas, including the provision of holiday accommodation b)      Restaurant and catering services. c)       Transport of passengers and ... Read more

Domestic tourists generated most of the tourism traffic in Slovenia in May when the country eased certain coronavirus restrictions on some tourist activities, See News has reported. In April, the coronavirus pandemic brought the Slovenian tourism to a halt, with the sector registering no new tourist arrivals. In May, domestic tourists generated over 13,000 arrivals and some 25,000 overnight stays versus 3,800 arrivals and some 14,000 overnight stays made by foreign tourists, the statistical office said in a statement. Thus, tourist arrivals and overnight stays in May represented only 4% of the traffic recorded in May 2019. Most of the foreign ... Read more

Italy has reassured visitors that it is ready to welcome them back having announced new safety guidelines for tourists. The Italian tourist board (ENIT) has published new protocols, which include wearing a face mask in enclosed spaces, providing hand sanitisers and applying one-metre social distancing rules in all public areas, including restaurants and hotels, Travel Weekly has reported. British tourists have been allowed to visit Italy with no quarantine measures on arrival from July 3, although quarantine measures still remain in place on return to the UK – with a review due on June 29 that could see air bridges ... Read more

Foreign holidays are back on the cards in the UK after Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted he will lift coronavirus travel curbs. The UK Government is still in talks with countries in a bid to persuade them not to quarantine UK tourists when they arrive, the Mirror reports. Favourites including France, Spain, and Greece, are among the destinations as quarantine restrictions are lifted for people returning from those countries. However, it remains unclear whether British nationals could be forced into self-isolation as they begin their holidays. An official announcement is expected next week when the Prime Minister is expected to confirm deals for “air bridges” ... Read more

Amsterdam announced on Thursday that it would ban vacation rentals including those on the home-sharing site Airbnb in three areas that make up the central old town from July 1. In the other neighbourhoods of the Dutch capital, vacation rentals will be allowed only with a special permit, and only for up to 30 days a year, to groups of no more than four people. Critics have long complained that the rise of Airbnb-style tourist rentals has torn the soul out of the centre of Europe’s best-loved tourist cities, from Edinburgh to Barcelona. Amsterdam housing councillor Laurens Ivens said in ... Read more

The Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors Thursday morning after having been shut down for more than three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the Paris landmark’s longest closure since World War II. The reopening is a dramatic sign of people reclaiming public spaces in France following more than 100 days of restrictions. But the tower’s highest point is still not open – and for now, visitors will need to take the stairs. The stairs-only rule is one of several restrictions at the site, which draws millions of tourists during a normal year. Face masks are compulsory for all ... Read more