Tourists in the European Union more than tripled the nights they spent in short-stay accommodation in December compared with a year earlier, the EU’s statistics office said on Monday, though levels remained well below pre-pandemic norms. The nights spent in EU short-stay tourist accommodation surged 237% to 102.2 million nights in December compared to a year earlier, Eurostat said, though this remained 27% below the 2019 figure. FILE PHOTO: People visit the ancient Parthenon Temple atop the Acropolis hill archaeological site in Athens, Greece, February 26, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi Easing coronavirus restrictions and widespread vaccination campaigns helped tourism recover from the early summer, though the emergence of the highly contagious Omicron variant and fresh travel curbs ...
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Quoting a new research call to lift all restrictions on vaccinated or recovered travellers ACI EUROPE (Airports Council International) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged European Governments to lift all travel restrictions for fully vaccinated/recovered individuals holding a valid Covid Certificate – as advised by the new regime for travel within the EU which comes into force on Tuesday. This new regime, set out by an EU Council Recommendation adopted on 25 January, is based on the health status of travellers, rather than the epidemiological situation of their country or area of origin. Independent research (see link in notes below) conducted in Finland and Italy provides insight into developing a Europe-wide policy for removing restrictions. The res...
Read MoreThe European Union launched on Thursday it digital COVID certificate system designed to help citizens travel more freely across the 27-nation bloc and open up summer tourism. The EU digital COVID certificate, which can be on a smartphone or printed out, takes the form of a QR-code, which indicates if a traveller has received been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, has received a recent negative test result or has immunity due to recent recovery from a COVID-19 infection. It is designed to be free of charge, issued and valid in all EU countries and set out in the national language and in English. The system also extends to non-EU countries of the border-free Schengen zone - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The system enters into application on Thursday, with ...
Read MoreThe European Union is likely to agree on Friday to let people who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus travel freely within the bloc this summer and also to categorise more EU regions as safer to visit. The EU is set to introduce by July 1 COVID-19 certificates that will indicate whether a person is vaccinated, has immunity because they were previously infected or has had a recent negative test. FILE PHOTO: People enjoy the beach following the easing of measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Faliro suburb, near Athens, Greece, April 3, 2021. REUTERS/Costas Baltas Ambassadors from the EU’s 27 countries are expected to approve a modified proposal from the European Commission that people who have been fully vaccinated for 14 days should be free to t...
Read MoreIndustry calls for swift adoption and implementation of harmonised EU travel rules
Ahead of the EU Ambassadors' meeting on 11 June, the European travel and tourism industry associations call on Member States to approve the Commission's proposal to start lifting travel restrictions in the EU in a coordinated way. After months of lockdowns and a patchwork of measures across the continent, this proposal is very timely. In view of the rapidly advancing vaccination programs and improving epidemiological outlook in Europe, safe travel is possible this summer - fuelled by the strong desire of European citizens to travel again and secured by the readiness of our sector to provide safe and responsible travel. If adopted and fully implemented, the text - initially proposed by the European Commission on 31 May- should restore freedom of movement within the EU. In particu...
Read MoreEuropean Union governments agreed on Wednesday to add Japan to their small list of countries from which they will allow non-essential travel, while holding off until at least mid-June for British tourists, EU sources said on Tuesday. Ambassadors from the EU's 27 countries approved the addition of Japan at a meeting on Wednesday, with the change to take effect in the coming days. People make a toast in a beer garden as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions continue to ease, in Vienna, Austria May 19, 2021. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger EU countries are recommended gradually to lift travel restrictions for the current seven countries on the list - Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. Individual EU countries can still opt to demand a ne...
Read MoreThe European Union reached a deal on Thursday on COVID-19 certificates designed to open up tourism across the 27-nation bloc this summer as a rapid pick-up of vaccinations allows widespread easing of coronavirus restrictions. European Parliament lawmakers and current EU president Portugal representing member states sealed the agreement after a fourth round of negotiations on Thursday afternoon. "We won't be repeating the nightmare of summer 2020," Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, the Spanish lawmaker who headed the parliament's team, told a news conference. People arrive at Faro Airport from Manchester on the first day that Britons are allowed to enter Portugal without needing to quarantine, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions continue to ease, in Faro, Portugal, May 17, 2...
Read MoreEuropean Union countries agreed on Wednesday to ease COVID-19 travel restrictions on non-EU visitors ahead of the summer tourist season, a move that could open the bloc’s door to all Britons and to vaccinated Americans. Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries approved a European Commission proposal from May 3 to loosen the criteria to determine “safe” countries and to let in fully vaccinated tourists from elsewhere, EU sources said. They are expected to set a new list this week or early next week. Based on data from the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Britain and a number of other countries would meet the new criteria. FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium May 5, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman The Unite...
Read MoreItaly will scrap mandatory quarantine from Sunday for visitors from the European Union, Britain and Israel who test negative for COVID-19, the government said on Friday as it looks to give summer tourism a boost. With vaccine roll-outs picking up pace in the EU, more countries are looking to ease travel curbs and restrictions on the hospitality sector to help it recover from the pandemic. “We have been waiting for this move for a long time and it anticipates a Europe-wide travel pass,” Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia. FILE PHOTO: Italian tourists visit the leaning tower of Pisa as it reopens to the public, following the ease of restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pisa, Italy, May 1, 2021. REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini The EU plans to star...
Read MoreGermany hopes for a swift agreement on a COVID-19 certificate that could allow citizens to travel more easily in the European Union, as more and more countries are opening up amid falling infection rates ahead of the summer holiday season. European affairs ministers met on Tuesday in Brussels to discuss the details of the “green certificate” that the EU aims to introduce in June, but talks between the European Commission, EU lawmakers and EU governments have yet to reach an agreement. FILE PHOTO: People receive COVID-19 vaccine in the Central Mosque in Ehrenfeld suburb, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Cologne, Germany, May 8, 2021. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen While EU officials stress they will not discriminate against those who do not have a certificate, touris...
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