Category: Europe

Greece will reopen to visitors from June 15, just days before its peak tourism season starts. Visitors from 29 countries will be allowed, during the first phase. These countries are Germany, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Israel, Switzerland, Japan, Malta, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Australia, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Albania, Estonia, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Hungary, South Korea, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Finland. Visitors will be randomly tested, the tourism ministry said, and the government would monitor and evaluate developments related to the coronavirus. The list will be updated before July 1, the tourism ministry said. The Mediterranean nation, ... Read more

The Giant Ferris Wheel – synonymous with Vienna and tourism – which had been turning without interruption since the end of World War II was switched off for the first time in 75 years in mid-March due to COVID-19. But on Friday, the wheels were made to turn again, signalling the rekindling of life and business in the beautiful Austrian capital. Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, set Vienna’s Giant Ferris Wheel in motion again, along with Nora Lamac, whose family has operated the Giant Ferris Wheel for generations. Vienna is gradually opening shops, bars, restaurants and museums, as well as ... Read more

Cyprus is hoping to regain lost ground in its tourism sector from July, by recording at least 30% of the tourist arrivals compared to last year. The Mediterranean island had moved swiftly to contain the outbreak, ordering a broad lockdown within days of its first registered case on March 9. It started easing it on May 4 and has said hotels will reopen on June 1, Reuters reported. Cyprus is hugely dependent on tourism for its revenues, which accounts for about 13% the country’s output. With five months of the season lost, Cyprus expects, at best, about 30% of last ... Read more

Spain usually welcomes more than 80 million visitors each year, making it one of the most visited countries in the world. But it has been hard hit by the coronavirus crisis and wants to be cautious as it opens to visitors from July 1, Gonzalez Laya told Reuters. “In this very atypical year of 2020, we will not be able to behave as usual,” she said. “It’s health. It’s making sure that we do not import cases as we are trying to control the cases we have in the country. It’s very prudent management on our side to make sure ... Read more

Croatia has started to open its borders for tourists, following the improved epidemiological situation in the country. Entry into the country is permitted to all owners of real estate and vessels, who can confirm their ownership when crossing the border with appropriate documentation. Entry is allowed to any person with proven economic or other business interests as well. Crossing the border is also possible for all tourists who have valid reservations for accommodation or boat charter. That tourism is slowly returning to Croatia is also clear from the tourist traffic recorded during the first week since the entry of foreign ... Read more

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy’s most visited tourist site, will reopen on June 1 after being closed for more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. With over 7 million visitors a year, the Colosseum is one of Rome’s major tourist attractions. The Flavian amphitheatre, which is listed as world heritage, “will finally reopen to the public, under the banner of accessibility, welcome and above all, safety,” according to a statement from the archaeological site. The Colosseum will reopen on Monday “with adequate health protection for staff and visitors” such as masks and temperature measurement, secure routes, compulsory reservations ... Read more

The German government is looking to lift travel warnings for 31 European countries by June 15, if the health situation allows it, the DPA press agency has reported. Great Britain, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are on the list, along with the 26 EU countries, according to DPA. The German government is due to make a decision on Wednesday. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had issued a worldwide warning for tourist travel on March 17 due to the rapid spread of the new coronavirus. This global travel warning would make way for advice per destination, with the risk addressed country ... Read more

Private yachts and boats, catering up to 12 passengers, will be allowed to set sail in Greece, according to a government decision as coronavirus restrictions ease. The government decision allows private yachts and boats to sail to and from the islands, with no restrictions on staying overnight or arriving during late hours, provided they carry up to 12 passengers, maintaining a minimum distance of 1.5 meters between each other. The easing of restrictions on yachting was also announced last week by Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis when he presented the country’s ‘Restart Tourism” plan. The government has also said restrictions ... Read more

In the biggest ever bailout package in aviation history, Lufthansa and the German government have finalised the terms of a €9 billion ($9.8 billion) rescue deal, following weeks of intense negotiations over the future of the airline. The rescue package will give the government a 20% stake in the group, which owns airlines in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. Lufthansa said in a statement that Germany’s Federal Economic Stabilization Fund, which is being used to assist companies hit by the corona virus pandemic, has approved a “stabilization package,” which the company’s executive board supports. Underscoring the trouble facing airlines, Lufthansa’s ... Read more

Spain will reopen to overseas tourists from July, the country’s prime minister has announced, pledging that the government will guarantee the safety of visitors and locals as the country emerges from one of Europe’s strictest coronavirus lockdowns. Prime minister Pedro Sanchez said a €3bn (£2.7bn) minimum basic income scheme to help families, most affected by the pandemic, would come into effect in the next few weeks. Sánchez said: “As you know, Spain receives more than 80 million visitors a year. I am announcing that from July, Spain will reopen for foreign tourism in conditions of safety. Foreign tourists can start ... Read more

Portugal has said that it’s ready to welcome tourists, expressing confidence that its public health care system can take care of the tourists. Portugal’s foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva has said no quarantine will be imposed on people arriving by plane. He said that “minimal health controls,” which he did not specify, will be enforced at airports. Other European countries, including Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, have preferred a 14-day self-isolation rule for arrivals. Santos Silva said in an interview with Observador radio station that Portugal’s public health system has coped well with the new coronavirus outbreak, though doctors ... Read more

Greece, one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world, has said June 15 will be the official start date of the tourism season. While announcing the date in an address to the nation, the Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said the tourist season has been delayed by the global coronavirus pandemic and that direct international flights to the country’s various tourist destinations would resume gradually from July 1. According to a report in The Guardian, holidaymakers from the UK and other countries would not be quarantined but would have to undergo coronavirus tests, the centre-right leader said in ... Read more

China has acquired a stake in budget airline Norwegian Air after the cash-strapped carrier underwent a major restructuring, according to a notification to the Oslo Stock Exchange. BOC Aviation, owned by the Chinese government via subsidiaries including Bank of China and China Investment Corporation, has emerged as one of the new owners of the Norwegian low-cost airline. “Upon completion of the conversion [of lease obligations], BOC Aviation will hold 389,053,742 shares in NAS [Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA], representing 12.67% of the outstanding shares and votes in the Company,” read the notification. AerCap, a top aircraft leasing company headquartered in Ireland, ... Read more

Eurobank will make available a fund of $821 million (750 million Euros) to help Greek hotels and support tourism, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. The revival of the tourism sector, which employs about one in five Greeks, is viewed as central to lessening the impact of an expected deep recession, with the European Commission estimating Greece’s economy may contract by 9.7% this year. “Eurobank is the bank of Greek tourism, we are there not only for the sunny days,” Eurobank’s CEO Fokion Karavias said. “Supporting the hotels sector, the heart of the tourism industry, is important ... Read more

Eleven European Union (EU) member states have agreed on a set of principles to ensure freedom of safe travel, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The agreement was announced following a videoconference that took place between the ministers of foreign affairs of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Austria and Slovenia. “Freedom of movement and travelling across Europe is a fundamental part of the European project,” the ministers said in a joint statement. In accordance with the guidelines announced recently by the European Commission for restoring tourism and transport in the post-Covid-19 period, the ministers’ agreement focuses on a phased and ... Read more