This archive report was first published on 15 June 2020.
Europeans Plan Post-Virus Summer Holidays Amid Reopening ¶
With the European Union lifting internal border restrictions on June 15, 2020, Europeans are eager to plan their post-coronavirus summer holidays. After months of confinement, many are digging out their suitcases, sunscreen, and flipflops, and daring to dream of a summer getaway.
However, the picture of what holidaymakers in search of sun, sea, or culture can expect remains very mixed. While some countries are reopening their borders and welcoming tourists, others are imposing restrictions and quarantine measures.
France, the world's number one tourist destination, is banking on the French staying in the country for their holidays, to help kickstart the key tourism sector. To hammer home the message, the government is launching a #CetetejevisitelaFrance campaign, meaning 'This summer I'm visiting France.'
Many French citizens have already heeded the call, with just 20 percent of summer bookings in travel agencies so far being for trips abroad, compared to 66 percent normally. With over 90 million visitors from abroad last year, France has backed the resumption of quarantine-free travel within the EU from June 15.
Paris, Europe's most visited city, has gradually begun coming back to life, with cafe terraces open again. The Eiffel Tower reopens on June 25, albeit with limits on the numbers of visitors, who will only be able to go up the monument by the stairs, among other restrictions.
Spain's borders will remain closed on June 15, as it goes through the final stages of rolling back one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. However, German tourists will be allowed to visit the Balearic Islands as part of a pilot project. From July 1, the likes of Barcelona's monumental Sagrada Familia or the ancient Alhambra in Granada will reopen to foreign visitors.
Britain is not strictly speaking affected by the June 15 reopening, as it didn't close its borders in the first place. However, it has imposed a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from abroad, including British nationals, to avoid new COVID-19 cases entering the country.
Italy, which was the first European country to be hit hard by the coronavirus, reopened to travellers from Europe on June 3. Many of its world-renowned historic sites and monuments have been reopening since May, including Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and Rome's Colosseum.
Greece plans to reopen its borders to the majority of European tourists, as well as those from certain other parts of the world, including Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. However, anyone from a region particularly badly hit by the virus will have to undergo mandatory tests and spend their first night on Greek soil in a designated hotel.
