So you can take a fall vacation risk-free despite Corona

Up and out, carefree, to the sea or the metropolises of Europe. Charming! But that is no longer the case today. The joy is gone.

The anticipation when booking the trip has given way to fears for the crown, as confirmed to BLICK by tourism professionals at today’s Swiss Travel Association (SRV) industry event. “The joy of the trip has given way to great frustration,” says SRV President Max Katz (65). And nerves are on edge in the travel industry. There is a red alert. “

Walter Kunz (59) adds: “Quarantine regulations naturally discourage new reserves.” The SRV boss is constantly faced with questions like these: Where can you get a safe vacation? Should I accept the quarantine for my vacation trip? Is it better for me to stay in Switzerland in the autumn, even though some cantons there are already at risk for new infections?

“Travel planning is extremely difficult because we have no security in planning due to BAG’s ever-changing quarantine list,” says Kunz.

The travel professional advises: «Do not book until the cancellation conditions for a trip have been clarified. That way you will avoid surprises. “You have to be attentive to the procedures for entering and leaving the desired destination.

“This is especially true when returning to Switzerland.” The federal quarantine list, which is renewed every two weeks, helps here. The BAG provides additional information on its website. “But you should definitely also check the infrastructure and crown regulations at your travel destination,” says Kunz.

According to a survey by the insurance subsidiary Allianz Partners, the Swiss are increasingly driving their cars on vacation. The plane is losing popularity. “The current uncertainty means that Mr. and Mrs. Swiss plan to travel less far in the future, to pay more attention to cancellation conditions or to book trips more quickly and directly with the supplier,” says Olaf Nink (59), head of Allianz Partners.

And: “Holidays in Switzerland are currently the motto of the hour. No changes in location are desired. “One in two people want to spend their holidays in or near Switzerland.

Nink also confirms: “In the times of Corona, cancellation costs are considered the most important component when booking a trip, even before the additional medical services during a trip.”

The travel sellers are helpless. Holidays in Portugal, Greece, but also in Germany and France, everything is possible for the moment. But that can change quickly. “If I don’t know what tomorrow is, how am I supposed to sell a trip,” says Bianca Gähweiler, a spokeswoman for Hotelplan. Well knowing: Anyone who books a tour package at a travel agency is on the safe side. If a location is on the quarantine list, for example, it can be rebooked free of charge. Or we will refund your money.

But fewer and fewer people are booking at a travel agency. “I always say: whoever comes to the travel agency right now is just the postman with the bills,” says Katz, president of SRV. His colleague Kunz adds: “The situation for travel agencies is really dramatic right now. As long as travel restrictions are in place for almost all countries, prospects are completely lost. “His demand:” Test for Covid-19 rather than quarantine! “That could encourage people to travel abroad again.

Tourism expert Christian Laesser (57): “The prospects in the travel industry are completely dark.” For the entire year 2020, travel agencies expect a decrease in turnover of at least 65 percent to even 90 percent compared to the previous year. Most employees have a part-time job.

“If sales collapse as expected, thousands of jobs also collapse,” says Laesser. In the worst case, it expects a loss of sales of around 2.9 billion Swiss francs. That also means: 3,000 jobs are serious and directly at risk and could be eliminated.