Summer 2020 vacation is likely to work in these countries

by Lilian Teresa Manthei

With the upcoming summer vacation season the passion for travel among traveling friends also grows. While it was unclear for a long time to what extent holiday travel abroad would be possible this year, now the hope is arising that the holiday could be spent outside Germany. For example, the EU plans to relax travel restrictions at intra-European level and beyond.

Our RTL travel expert Ralf Benkö estimates which holiday countries the 2020 summer holidays are likely to operate in.

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Croatia

Croatia was not as affected by the coronavirus as other EU countries. Since the country started early to prepare for the extraordinary situation, you can be optimistic about a Croatia vacation in 2020. Croatia has been negotiating with Austria, Slovenia and the Czech Republic for a long time to make vacation travel possible through brokers of highways and planes.

According to a statement by the Croatian Minister of Tourism, Gari Capelli, German tourists should be able to spend their holidays on the Balkan Peninsula this summer: “We are only waiting for a decision from Germany, when the Germans can travel. The moment when we do receive signaling that you are ready to let your citizens go abroad, we will immediately start the meetings. “

Greece

Greece has also overcame the Corona crisis lightly in a European comparison and thus in a relatively safe place when it comes to possible vacation travel. If the number of infections remains low, it should be possible again from July 1 to spend the summer holidays there, as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced earlier this month.

When we requested more information from the Greek Ministry of Tourism, unfortunately we were not told anything specific, because we are still waiting for new decisions and announcements from the Greek government. However, a summer vacation in Greece, due to the relatively low number of infections and the adjustment of tourism companies to the new situation, is more than possible in our opinion.

Balearic and Canary Islands

Unlike in mainland Spain, there were very few corona infections in the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. According to information from the Mallorcan tourism association, the first holiday flights to Mallorca are expected to start again between the end of June and the beginning of July. The airport of Palma and the tourism companies of Mallorca have been preparing intensively since the beginning of the crisis to receive and accommodate tourists in a safe way for the crown.

The island is also preparing for medical care and the capacity of hospital beds for the summer season in the Corona era. As soon as border controls are relaxed, Mallorca is ready to welcome the first foreign tourists again.

Egypt

In Egypt, the opening of hotels to national tourists was approved since May 15. All hotels should be open again before May 21. However, they can only occupy a maximum of 50 percent of their beds by the end of June. In an interview, Egyptian Ambassador Khaled Galal told us that the government has reconsidered restrictions on international air traffic and is already opening up to the entry of German tourists. Now it mainly depends on the requirements of the German government and when it will lift the international travel warning.

As soon as it is ready in Germany, Egyptian hoteliers want to be like this: all facilities are required to obtain an official hygiene certificate, so numerous steps must be taken. They range from room occupancy to buffet safety precautions and measures in the wellness area. But planning goes even further: the cities of Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Sharm El Sheikh will be isolated for foreign tourism. According to Galal, these sites were slightly affected or not affected by the coronavirus. Away from metropolitan areas, there are fewer intersections between locals and tourists, which also makes spreading the virus even more difficult.

Turkey

Despite the widespread spread of the virus in Turkey, the government is very committed to resuming tourism. The country is currently working to contain the pandemic in late May, as Erkan Yagci, president of the Antalya Hotel Association, tells us in an interview.

Domestic air traffic will resume in late May, so that planes with German tourists can land again from mid-June. For a safe and worry-free stay for tourists, the country is currently developing a certification system for hotels, resorts, restaurants, and transportation to ensure the hygienic safety of all guests and travelers.

According to Yagci, each vacationer would also be screened for the virus upon entry. Furthermore, the size of many hotel complexes makes vacations in Turkey relatively safe: in spacious hotels, there is no need to limit the number of visitors, as the minimum distances could easily be met.

Holidays abroad depend on this

In general, vacation trips to countries that started early are likely to develop hygiene concepts and safety measures for the tourism sector, and thus meet the EU criteria for protection against infection. But you can also estimate how the country has overcome the Corona crisis, how high the infection levels have been and how well the medical infrastructure is developing, how good are the possibilities of a trip to the respective country.

However, a holiday abroad does not only depend on the regulations of the country of travel. In the interviews we conducted, it was repeatedly emphasized that the recommendations and warnings of the German government also depended on how quickly tourism exchange would be possible again. The emerging trend indicates a start to the season with the lifting of the global travel warning, which until now existed until June 14.

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