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Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga, who suspended his vacation on Friday, discussed new actions regarding travel arrangements during the pandemic with representatives of the tourism sector.
Competitive conditions are limited
Žydrė Gavelienė, commercial president of the National Tourism Association, said that during the meeting the possibilities of organizing trips to the autonomous regions during the winter season, when it is cold in Lithuania, were discussed.
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Žydrė Gavelienė
Among the safe regions mentioned are the Spanish Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and the Portuguese island of Madeira. In the presence of a coronavirus pandemic, they are considered safe.
The tour operators agreed with A.Veryga, as well as with the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, that they would deliver a list of countries so that both epidemiologists and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could assess the course.
The representatives of the tourism sector of Latvia and Estonia will also go to their governments so that the three Baltic countries can jointly decide to which countries tour operators can transport clients.
“It is in the EU framework so far,” Ž noted. Gavelienė.
These are direct non-transit charter flights from Lithuania.
“That list could be more extensive if the situation improves and does not get worse. This is what we are asking to ensure a safe trip, which can be made by tour operators. We will negotiate with Latvia and Estonia. And we also receive a guarantee from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) that Lithuanians travel to the EU is safe, because a health card is already valid everywhere and they can receive services there, ”says Ž.Gavelienė.
This is what we ask to ensure a safe trip, which can be done by tour operators.
The decisions being talked about today, he said, are focused not only on this winter, but also on the way forward to plan work and travel safely.
According to Ž. Gavelienė, the tourism sector suffered the most due to the limitations of the coronavirus pandemic and decisions on foreign travel could have been made earlier.
“But if those decisions do not delay and are made, say, by the end of the summer, it will be the first step,” said the business president of the National Tourism Association.
He mentioned that there are definitely fewer inquiries about foreign travel.
“It just came to our knowledge then. But the small number of inquiries does not so much prevent tour operators from planning trips in the future. And indeed, if addresses were offered that are safe, as I said Madeira or Canarias, or there may still be something sure, it really is for those who travel. We see that today Lithuanians travel through the surrounding regions, not through Lithuanian tour operators. Therefore, we believe that the competitive conditions of Lithuanian tour operators are limited, “said Ž Gavelienė.
Such a mechanism is not yet applied
According to A.Veryga, the mechanism for assessing the epidemiological situation not only in EU countries, but also in their individual regions has not yet been applied.
Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Aurelijus Veryga
“It just came to our attention then. We agreed that the tourism business associations would appeal to the governments of all the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) with such a proposal. Then it would be possible to consider equivalents like the one we have in the Committee. COVID-19 directive. If such an idea were accepted in principle, then it would be agreed with the European Center for Disease Control if indicators could be obtained that would be reliable for, say, regions. And then establish the necessary conditions for transport of tourists who can travel to some islands or individual regions that are in the Schengen area of the EU or in the area of Economic Cooperation ”, said the Minister of Health.
And then establish the necessary conditions for the transport of tourists who could travel to some islands or individual regions that are in the Schengen area of the EU or in the area of Economic Cooperation.
Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation, Vitalija Jankauskaitė-Milčiuvienė, explained that we all understand that safety is a priority.
Photo from personal archive / Vitalija Jankauskaitė Milčiuvienė
“Another thing that really needs to be considered in the future is to continue discussions with the insurance industry, to talk about the possibilities of insurance. Because there are many obstacles in this place ”, commented the Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation.
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