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Governments across the country have guidance on when British tourists can expect to return after the coronavirus crisis.
Britain remains in the shutdown, but with Boris Johnson confirming that the country has passed the other side of the “peak”, preparations for life begin after the shutdown.
While the outlook for summer vacations this year remains dubious, governments have issued statements on when the tourism industries will return after the health crisis.
Covid-19 has left most of western Europe severely affected, with thousands of deaths.
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Countries across Europe have started to loosen their blocking restrictions, The Liverpool Echo reports.
But some like Greece, Spain and Cyprus are concentrating on attracting domestic tourism first, before opening their countries to regular international visitors.
Spain
The death toll in Spain from the virus is beginning to stop, but the future of holidays in the country is still under discussion, says the Spanish tourism minister.
Reyes Maroto did not rule out that the restrictions remain once international tourism resumes.
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 sanitary 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.”
Greece
Greece’s tourism minister Harry Theoharis has spoken about “new specific rules” for tourism during the coronavirus crisis.
Tourism represents 20% of the economy in Greece, with one in five Greeks employed in the industry.
Mr Theoharis, who plans to hold talks with his EU counterparts tomorrow, told The Guardian: “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.”
Tourism ministers from different EU countries are expected to discuss the regulations, with the possibility of requiring temperature controls and blood tests on passengers.
In the same interview, Theoharis said he was seeking to establish a common set of rules for EU countries 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.”
(Image: Getty Images / iStockphoto)
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, Theoharis says Greece could open to tourists in July, later than usual, but in time for the peak summer months, when most of the income is made.
But tourists from the United Kingdom can be replaced by those from eastern and central Europe accustomed to accessing the country by car 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, the favorite holiday destination, aims to open to tourists starting in July, but British tourists don’t seem to make the cut.
The popular island has seen only 817 confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus, which has undergone stringent blocking measures introduced in March.
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.
But tourism could start returning to the country starting in July with limited arrivals, according to the Financial Mirror.
Those interested in Cypriot tourism are eager to save the tourist season by welcoming visitors from neighboring countries who also experience fewer viruses.
The British are one of the largest vacation groups on the island, but the UK will still have to wait until it can fly to Cyprus.
Reservations for Great Britain and Russia, which Cyprus receives the most tourists, will open at a later stage.
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.”
Perdios expects to see airlines offer attractive offers sometime in July.
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.
Turkey
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Turkey has plans to present a certificate to the British to demonstrate that they do not have coronaviruses to visit them.
Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, announced a new initiative aimed at certifying tourist attractions as coronavirus-free while the global pandemic continues.
Some countries are seeing a decrease in cases, which is prompting tourism officials to put in place plans to save the tourist seasons.
Authorities believe cases of the deadly virus in Turkey will continue through April and early May, before the numbers drop.
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Ersoy said that the standardization phase in Turkey could start as early as the second week of May, according to TRT World.
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.
He said: “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.”
Italy
Tourism employs 4.2 million Italians and the sector was already reporting its “worst crisis in recent history” in late February, before the closure measures were announced.
Italy’s tourism secretary Lorenza Bonaccorsi told AFP: “It will take a year or two to get back to where we were, but 2020 could well be canceled.”
“It is still impossible to say when Italy … will emerge from the health emergency.”
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The Italian tourism association Confturismo estimated that the crisis would cause a loss of income of 22 billion euros.
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.
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Tourism Secretary Bonaccorsi said: “This could be the time to move away from mass tourism, towards one that is more respectful with the environment.
“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.
They said: “Who will have the courage to get on a Freccia Rossa high-speed car (train) filled with 80 passengers or a low-cost airline with 270?”
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