Category: Europe

TUI UK has cancelled all beach holidays up to and including July 10 due to ongoing travel restrictions.  The company had previously planned to restart trips on July 1. Holidays with TUI Ireland are on hold till July 20. All customers whose bookings are affected by the change will receive a refund credit – they can also request a cash refund via the company’s online form. Customers who had booked a package holiday over this period will be given an incentive of up to 20% off if they rebook with TUI. Those due to travel with the company before the end of August can modify their booking ... Read more

This guide by the British government will help you understand how to travel safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. It provides guidance for walking, cycling, using private vehicles (for example cars and vans), and travelling by taxis and public transport (for example trains, buses, coaches and ferries). You should avoid using public transport where possible. Instead try to walk, cycle, or drive. If you do travel, thinking carefully about the times, routes and ways you travel will mean we will all have more space to stay safe. Is your journey necessary? To help keep yourself and your fellow passengers safe, ... Read more

The coronavirus pandemic may have affected plenty of events and festivities this year, but the Salzburg Festival announced on Tuesday that it would go ahead with it in August. The festival, showcasing the finest classical music and opera production, will be a shorter event than usual. The plan was to have an expansive celebration of its centennial, with more than 200 performances over 44 days. Now it has been curtailed to 90 performances over 30 days. Seven opera productions have been reduced to two. “The world usually looks to us for artistic reasons,” Helga Rabl-Stadler, the festival’s president, said. “This ... Read more

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has slammed the decision of the UK government to make travellers arriving in the UK, undergo a 14-day quarantine. This will cost millions of tourism jobs, he warned. He said his airline is experiencing a “collapse of inward bookings” for flights this summer, because people are being told to self-isolate for 14 days under government measures that came into effect on Monday. The British government is looking to guard against a second wave of coronavirus. All passengers, bar a handful of exemptions, now have to fill out an online locator form giving their contact and travel ... Read more

The Irish government is being urged to consider a move to one-metre social distancing and to allow people travel beyond 20 km of their homes from June 29 to save Ireland’s tourism industry. A delayed reopening of schools, allowing bars and pubs to welcome customers from July 20 and removing the two-week self-isolation period for visitors from “safe” destinations are also being suggested. The issues are highlighted in an eight-point list submitted to the government by Ireland’s new Tourism Recovery Taskforce (TRT), which has been charged with preparing a Recovery Plan for an industry devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Cabinet ... Read more

Safety and health, insurance, cancellation and refund policies will be some of the important elements travellers will consider while a choosing a destination post-pandemic, a survey has said. Maximum flexibility and travel customisation will be the other factors that visitors will bear in mind, the European survey conducted by VIA Outlets said. It interviewed close to 1,400 agents and tour operators from Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands and Italy for the survey. VIA Outlets, members of WTTC, aims at fostering cross-sectorial collaboration and strengthening cohesion, offering insights that can help in a multi-level and large-scale approach to prepare for the future ... Read more

Ireland’s world-renowned pub culture has been hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown and pub owners are certain that if the restrictions are not eased, they would be in utter ruins. The country has imposed probably the strictest lockdown in Europe, under which the pubs can only reopen in August and must keep drinkers two metres apart. A Reuters report quoting Ronan Lynch, owner of The Swan, a small, Victorian pub said relaxing the guidelines will be the difference between reopening or not. “We’re at the periphery of Europe with a peripheral view of the two-metre rule. No business can operate ... Read more

Greek health authorities announced a revised set of rules to be implemented on all Greek beaches for protection against the coronavirus pandemic. Among other things, social distancing rules still apply while beach bars are now allowed to serve food and beverages but are still prohibited for playing music and holding events. Following are the specific guidelines : – Only two people can be seated under a single umbrella with the exception of families with young children. – Beach beds should be placed at least 1.5 metres apart from neighbouring umbrella; umbrellas should be placed 4 metres apart. – Team sports ... Read more

The number of flights on offer from Munich Airport will be increased over the next few weeks. In the past few months, international air travel in particular had come to a virtual standstill on account of the numerous travel restrictions. Now, many airlines are starting to ramp up their operations again, starting June. Lufthansa will be flying regularly from Munich to Brussels, Milan, Rome, Vienna, and Zurich again within the next few days. On Tuesday, June 2, the airline reopened its route from Munich to Chicago. The first flight to Los Angeles is scheduled to take place on Wednesday. Initially, ... Read more

Greece has opened its hotels, thereby kick-starting its tourism sector chained by weeks of lockdown. The hotels opened yesterday, June 1, with strict safety regulations in place. Business remained quiet because international flights from its main airports will only start from June 15. With borders remaining shut in key tourism markets, some hotels have decided to reopen later, due to low reservations. Following are a number of new rules that must be followed by all hotels in Greece, according to the government decision. – All hotel employees (including interns) must wear a face mask (surgical or cloth) and disposable gloves. ... Read more

Coronavirus induced lockdown restrictions were eased on June 1 across the globe, especially in Asia and Europe, as demand for travel and tourism started to pick up. The Colosseum opened its doors in Rome, golfers played in Greece, students returned in Britain and Dutch bars and restaurants were free to welcome patrons again, news agency AP reported yesterday. Countries around the Mediterranean Sea began tentatively to kick-off a summer season in which tourists could bask in their famously sunny beaches while still being protected by social distancing measures. “We are reopening, as a symbol. A symbol of Rome, a symbol ... Read more

Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis has presented a new plan for the promotion of domestic tourism. To start with, there will be an increase in funding of the Greek Manpower Employment Organization’s (OAED) subsidised social tourism programme to 30 million euros. Second is a 10-million-euro tax relief programme for companies, so they in turn can provide holiday coupons to employees. The third is bringing back the ‘Tourism for All’ programme with a 30 million-euro budget, which provides subsidised holidays for the unemployed, pensioners, and others who qualify due to low income. Theoharis noted that some 70 million euros will be ... Read more

The Greek digital governance ministry has announced that it would be increasing its cash rebate for film produced and shot in Greece, to 40%. The plan is to enhance the country’s position as an attractive filming destination and bring in investors. The decision was announced during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. On the initiative of the National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME), Greece is following the example of 30 European countries, including France, the UK, Spain and Italy, offering incentives to producers and investors to film on location. Besides the rebate increase, the new ... Read more

For years, Kuoni has been famous for luxury long-haul holidays but now it is planning to sell tailor-made holidays in and around Britain. It has announced plans to launch a new range of bespoke holiday itineraries throughout Scotland, England, Wales and the island of Ireland, as part of the plan. For this initiative Kuoni has partnered with McKinlay Kidd, which has been creating tailor-made holidays throughout the UK and Ireland since 2003, using local knowledge and expertise to design premium road trips with personal touches. A new UK section of the company’s website went live on Friday, featuring a range ... Read more

Dining at a table where each person is enclosed by a clear plastic shield might look and sound futuristic, but it could be one way for some restaurants to reopen, according to a report by international news agency AP. The prototype plastic shields are known as the “Plex’eat,” and they resemble big clear lampshades suspended from the ceiling. They are being showcased temporarily at H.A.N.D., a Parisian restaurant seeking a way to reopen its dining room as coronavirus restrictions are relaxed. As restaurateurs around the world seek to resume in-person dining amid the pandemic, they want to adhere to social ... Read more