This is how we can travel safely with COVID-19! – tourism

The European Commission (EC) today presents a package of guidelines and recommendations to help Member States gradually remove travel restrictions and allow tourism companies to return to work after a long break in complying with the necessary sanitation measures. .

The Commission’s guidelines aim to give citizens the opportunity to enjoy much-needed rest, relaxation and refreshment. As soon as it is established that the health situation allows, people should be able to see their friends and family in their own EU country or abroad, subject to the necessary security and protection measures.

The package also aims to help the EU tourism sector recover from the pandemic by supporting companies and ensuring that Europe retains its role as a leading tourism destination.

The Commission’s tourism and transport package includes:

A comprehensive recovery strategy in 2020 and beyond;

A common approach for the gradual and coordinated restoration of freedom of movement and the elimination of restrictions at the EU’s internal borders;

A framework to support the gradual recovery of transportation services while ensuring the safety of passengers and staff;

Recommendation to offer consumers travel vouchers as a cost-effective alternative to rebates;

Criteria for the safe and gradual recovery of tourist services and for the development of sanitary protocols for accommodation establishments, such as hotels.

For tourists and travelers.

The Commission aims to restore the ability of citizens to travel safely through the following measures:

Safe restoration of freedom of movement and abolition of internal border controls

Free movement and cross-border travel are key to tourism. Member States can reduce the spread of the virus and therefore general restrictions on free movement should be replaced by more specific measures. The epidemiological situation does not allow the general elimination of restrictions and, therefore, the Commission proposes a gradual and coordinated approach, starting with the abolition of controls between zones or Member States with sufficiently similar epidemiological situations. The approach should also be flexible and include the possibility of reintroducing certain measures if the epidemiological situation requires it.

Member States should be guided by the following three criteria:

the epidemiological situation, especially in areas where the situation is improving, based on guidance and cartographic information provided by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC);

the possibility of applying anti-epidemic measures throughout the trip, including at border crossings, as well as additional precautions when physical distance is difficult, and

economic and social considerations, initially prioritizing cross-border traffic in key areas of activity, including personal travel.

The principle of non-discrimination is particularly important: when a Member State decides to allow travel in its territory or in certain regions and districts of its territory, it must do so in a non-discriminatory way, that is, in all districts, regions or states of its territory . EU with a similar epidemiological situation.

Furthermore, all restrictions should be removed without discrimination for all EU citizens and for all residents of that Member State, regardless of nationality, and this should apply to all areas of the EU with a similar epidemiological situation.

Restoring transport services in the EU and taking care of the health of transport workers and passengers at the same time:

The guidelines contain general principles for the safe and gradual recovery of all types of passenger transport. They contain a number of recommendations, such as the need to limit contacts between passengers and transport workers, as well as between passengers themselves, and reduce their density whenever possible.

The guidelines also include instructions on the use of personal protective equipment, such as protective masks and appropriate protocols in case of coronavirus symptoms in passengers. In addition, they contain recommendations for the different modes of transport, as well as a call for coordination between Member States in the gradual restoration of transport links between them.

Safe renewal of tourist services:

The Commission establishes a common framework with criteria for the safe and gradual resumption of tourism activities and the development of sanitation.
protocols for hotels and other forms of accommodation to protect the health of guests and staff. These criteria include epidemiological evidence; availability of sufficient capacity of the health system for locals and tourists; stable supervision, monitoring and testing capacity, and contact tracking. The guidelines will allow people to stay safely in hotels, campgrounds, bed and breakfasts or other places to rest and relax, consume in restaurants, bars and cafes, go to the beach and visit other places for outdoor recreation.

Ensure cross-border interoperability of tracking applications:

With the support of the Commission, Member States have agreed guidelines to ensure cross-border interoperability between surveillance applications that send warnings of possible coronavirus infection to citizens, even when traveling in the EU.

The guidelines will guide software developers working with national health authorities.

The applications in question must be able to be used voluntarily, be transparent, temporary, be protected against cyber threats, use anonymous data, be based on Bluetooth technology and be interoperable in a cross-border sense, as well as between different operating systems. .

Interoperability is crucial: EU citizens must be able to receive alerts about possible infections safely, anywhere in the EU and regardless of the application they use. The Commission supports Member States in finding the right solution in accordance with the principles set out in the EU toolkit and the Commission’s data protection guidelines.

To make coupon delivery more attractive to consumers:

Under EU rules, travelers are entitled to choose between a coupon or a cash refund for paid but canceled transport tickets (for air, train, bus or ferry) or package travel. The Commission reaffirms this right in its recommendation and at the same time aims to ensure that coupons become a more attractive and valid alternative to cash reimbursements for trips canceled in the context of the current pandemic, which also creates financial difficulties. for tour operators. Voluntary accepted coupons must be protected against the issuer’s insolvency, have a minimum validity of 12 months and be subject to exchange after a maximum of one year if they are not used. T

It must also provide sufficient flexibility, allow travel on the same route under the same conditions of service, or allow tourists to book a package tour ticket with the same type of service or equivalent quality.

Coupons must be transferable to another passenger.

For companies in the tourism sector.

The Commission aims to support the European tourism sector by:

Provide liquidity to tourism companies, particularly SMEs, through:

Flexibility in state aid rules to allow Member States to introduce schemes, such as coupon guarantee schemes and other liquidity schemes, to support companies in the transport and tourism sectors, and to ensure that recovery claims amounts paid as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will be paid. Coupon plans can be approved by the Commission very soon after receiving notification from the Member State concerned.

European funding:

The EU continues to provide immediate liquidity to companies affected by the crisis through the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative under shared management with Member States. Furthermore, the Commission and the European Investment Fund have provided financing of up to € 8 billion to 100,000 small businesses affected by the crisis.

Job savings through financial incentives of up to € 100 billion under the SURE program:

The SURE program helps Member States to cover the costs of national part-time employment plans and other similar measures that allow companies to keep their jobs. The Commission also supports partnerships between employment services, social partners and companies to facilitate retraining, especially for seasonal workers.

Direct citizens to local tourist deals, advertise local attractions, tourism and Europe as a safe tourist destination:

The Commission will promote, together with the Member States, the adoption of a coupon system in which consumers can support their preferred hotels or restaurants. The Commission will also support pan-European information campaigns in which Europe is represented as the number one tourist destination.

In addition to short-term measures, the Commission will continue to work with Member States to promote sustainable tourism in accordance with

The European Green Pact, as well as the digital transformation of tourist services to diversify options, better allocation of resources and new ways of managing passenger and tourist flows.

The Commission will organize a European Congress on Tourism, with the participation of the EU institutions, the tourism industry, regions, cities and other stakeholders, to jointly build a future sustainable, innovative and stable European tourism ecosystem (European Program of Tourism 2050). “).

Europe has a vibrant tourist ecosystem. Travel, transport, hotels, restaurants, recreational and cultural sites generate almost 10% of the EU’s GDP and are a major source of employment and income in many European regions. 267 million
Europeans (62% of the population) take at least one private party a year, and 78% of Europeans spend their holidays in their home country or in another EU country.

The tourism ecosystem has also been among those most affected by the severe traffic and travel restrictions imposed by the coronavirus epidemic.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicts a reduction of 60 to 80 percent of foreign tourists, equivalent to unrealized losses of export earnings of between 840 billion and 1,100 billion euros worldwide. In Europe, summer is a key season for tourism: on average, during the summer season (June-August), EU residents make 385 million tourist trips and spend € 190 billion.

Today’s package follows the direction set out in the Joint European Roadmap published by the Commission on April 14 in cooperation with the European Council.

The roadmap provides a seamless approach to gradually phase out the anti-epidemic measures introduced due to the coronavirus pandemic.