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The tourism industry is preparing for several years of chaos in the wake of the global coronavirus crisis, which has already seen economies lose billions.
Social distancing in the foreseeable future means that beaches, tourist attractions and hotels will be operating at reduced capacity, allowing fewer, if any, visitors.
Several countries have also warned about how resorts will implement two-meter guidelines, particularly in and around public spaces.
Italian ministers have warned that the holidays will never be the same again, with queues outside their once-occupied attractions, such as the Colosseum, to be adjusted according to social distancing guidelines.
The country said it has been one of the most affected by the pandemic, with 27,967 lives claimed to date and billions devastating its economy.
Meanwhile, Spain is still in talks to reopen its borders, but it is not yet known when or if tourists will be able to return.
Airlines have also plunged the industry into chaos, with Ryanair and British Airways cutting jobs, while Aer Lingus will debate with unions about possible job cuts.
It raises important questions about how travel will work again once borders are relaxed across Europe.
So what’s the latest? We take a look below.
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Italy
The Italian tourism council of Confturismo warned that the crisis will cost its economy 22 billion euros, and the country reported 205,463 coronavirus cases to date.
It is not yet known when the measures will be lifted, including movement restrictions. Some medical experts advise that social distancing should continue until the end of the year.
Italy’s tourism secretary Lorenza Bonaccors said: “It will take a year or two to get back to where we were, but 2020 could also be canceled.”
“It is still impossible to say when Italy … will emerge from the health emergency.”
“This could be the time to move away from mass tourism towards one that is more environmentally friendly.
“You won’t see the long lines outside the Colosseum that you used to see.”
The tourism association Corti also believes that the industry will have to change.
It said: “Who will have the courage to get on a high-speed Freccia Rossa (train) wagon full of 80 passengers or a low-cost airline with 270?”
Spain
The death toll in Spain has been steadily declining for the past week, but the holidays are still under discussion, Spanish tourism minister Reyes Maroto said.
Speaking to the Spanish newspaper El País, he said: “We have to guarantee, when international tourism opens, that the person who comes to Spain is a safe person …
“The issue of borders will be accompanied by the evolution of the health crisis.
So I don’t have the solution of when [they will be able to open].
“On how you can enjoy our beaches, we are defining different scenarios.
“It is very important that the health recommendations are maintained, we are going to have to internalize what we are already doing now, hand washing, social distancing … even on the beaches.”
“Those patterns will be in our day to day for a while, you can’t take a step back.”
Earlier this week, Irish travel expert Eoghan Corry said he believed the Canary Islands might be the first popular holiday destination to reopen, with Fuerteventura and Lanzarote is likely to receive tourists first and Gran Canaria and Tenerife at a later date.
The journalist and broadcaster said that due to its low infection rate compared to the rest of Spain, the Canary Islands may be the first place to allow tourists to return in late summer or early fall.
He said: “Our best hope is one of our favorite holiday destinations, the Canary Islands, they have a low infection rate compared to the rest of Spain.
“What will happen from May 11, all planned, the Canary Islands will begin to unlock and the first two will be Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
“Gran Canaria will probably continue and Tenerife has a slightly higher rate of infections.”
However, he added that traveling to the Canary Islands will depend on whether the airlines are offering flights at that time.
Mallorca can be another option for sun lovers.
The Spanish island, which is very popular with Irish tourists, relies heavily on visitors’ money each summer.
However, with the current pandemic they are already losing millions and anticipate a disastrous collapse if the restrictions continue.
Mallorca’s bosses now hope that tourists can visit places like Magaluf this summer.
Island President Catalina Cladera said: “We are not ending this year’s tourist season. Anything we can safely revive, we will.
“As soon as we can, we must move to the contingency phase and live with the pandemic, always safely, because people’s health is essential, as well as to save the productive fabric and jobs.”
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Greece
Greece’s tourism minister Harry Theoharis has spoken about “new specific rules” for tourism during the coronavirus crisis.
Theoharis, who is willing to hold talks with his EU counterparts tomorrow, said: “If we think about the possibility of traveling this year, it must be under new specific rules.”
“We have to have new rules for hotels, new rules for beaches, new rules for pools, new rules for buffet breakfast, new rules for tour buses.”
Regulations could include temperature checks and blood tests as passengers land in the country.
In the same interview, Theoharis said he was seeking to establish a common set of rules for EU states that would allow people to move between countries and at the same time make “economic sense”.
He said, “If, for example, you can only fly 10 people on a plane to be considered safe, then obviously there will be no flight.”
The Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation estimates that the country’s tourism industry will generate only 30% of what it did in 2019 due to the pandemic, and there are fears about the negative effect on the economy.
But if the warm weather brings a breather, he says Greece could open up to tourists in July.
While this sounds like good news, it may only be available to those in eastern and central Europe if air links continue to be suspended.
He said: “Once the measures are relaxed, it will take a good month to prepare the ground for the [tourism] engine to start.
“Tour operators are waiting and hoping that we can find the right rules so that we can start attracting visitors. We have to find the right balance … be cautious, strive and make the best of it.”
Greece is expected to lose billions of euros in tourism as the continent and islands close their borders to visitors, with 65% of hotels bankrupt.
Cyprus
Cyprus could be back on the travel map in July, but only for some countries.
The popular island, which has seen only 817 confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus, still has stringent blocking measures, but ministers are eager to regain their tourism levels again.
Authorities say the island will see a loss of € 1.5 billion in tourism revenue as 60% of all holiday bookings are expected to be canceled.
A new order will also be introduced to allow tourism agents to issue vouchers on refunds, while prioritizing domestic tourism as a method of attracting money to the tourism industry in the short term.
Cyprus Deputy Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios said: “We hope to know in a few weeks when tourists will be able to come from these countries.”
He added: “The important thing is that travel agencies have Cyprus in mind … there are positive signs from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Nordic countries, Greece, Israel and perhaps the Netherlands.”
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Turkey
Turkey has plans to present a certificate for tourists to demonstrate that they do not have a coronavirus to visit.
Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the standardization phase in Turkey could start as early as the second week of May.
He told local media that tourists will need an official document detailing their state of health, while new measures will also be introduced throughout the tourism industry.
The certification system will include three pillars that cover transportation, facilities, and passengers using the previous two pillars.
He explained that an immunity certificate would also be required for international visitors.
“This will probably be an example to the world we have developed. By gradually including all NGOs in the commission, our goal is to finalize this certification system quickly in the first week of May,” said Ersoy.
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