EU promises “We will have a summer tourist season” [for travellers from Europe] - FlyerTalk Forums (2024)

radonc1

Join Date: Mar 2005

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No only that, but how many of the current passengers testing negative become positive over the next 7 days?

I would not like to bet my vacation on a plane load of fellow passengers testing negative for the corona virus. All you need is one positive and, unless you are planning a vacation of longer that 1 week, you get to spend it in a quarantine hotel. I could do that at home for much less cost.

Of course, I would also need very good insurance in case I am hospitalized or worse, need to be evacuated back home due to severe illness.in case I contract the disease.

I like to gamble, but those stakes are just too dear for me

wco81

Join Date: Oct 2004

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Thing I wonder is, there have been concerns raised here in the US about gatherings and crowding in some public spaces like churches, parks and beaches, ever since the start of warm, sunny weather, starting about a month ago, on Mother's Day.

Then you had Memorial Day Weekend about 2 weeks ago and now for the past week, all the protests with large crowds in many cities.

People are bracing for possible spikes but hoping they don't materialize.

IIRC, Europe has also had crowding in beaches and parks in the past month. Yet looks like most EU countries are opening their borders to other EU and Schengen nations in the next week or two. Maybe some spikes will still cause countries to modify or reverse some of these plans to reopen their borders.

JDiver

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Austria to Open Borders with 7 Countries, But Not with Italy | Frequent Business Traveler

That’s good news. Every travel bubble will undoubtedly expand (and contract as necessary) as time goes on.

Dan1113

Join Date: Dec 2009

Posts: 2,553

i am confused by this. Up until now, travellers from the UK were allowed in with a health declaration and we're advised to quarantine but it is not mandatory. I assume this would still apply since the external travel ban doesn't apply to the UK? Ie if someone from the UK arrives they'd still be allowed in since the Netherlands never imposed a border entry ban from within Europe?

Owenc

Join Date: Mar 2014

Location: Northern Ireland

Posts: 722

Portugal is the only EU country, with flights from here. Nowhere else is commencing until Mid July.

Why is that?

exbayern

Join Date: Sep 2006

Posts: 6,967

I'm not sure what you are referring to as 'from here' and thus what airline, but much of the Portuguese economy relies on the UK visitors to the Algarve. The rest of us Europeans tend to go to the cities. Lisbon is one of the top meeting destinations in Europe, but those and all summer festivals have been cancelled. That means that the tourism industry is very hard hit after several years of record growth. They have to do whatever they can to try and recover the few months left of the season, as most hotels were closed until now and many still not open. All related businesses too are really suffering.

Even with a very low ICU to population ratio for Europe, Portugal managed this well. However, this is having a significant impact on a large percentage of the population as one of their primary industries will struggle to regain some business this summer.

In short, they are hoping the Brits return to the Algarve quickly, and the rest of us back to Lisbon and Porto.

MSPeconomist

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If we parse words, originate from and arrive from could have different meanings, with arrive referring to the transit airport and originate meaning the first airport on (that direction of) the ticket, essentially as an airline would use the word origin.

ADDED: I don't see how requiring a test to apply for a visa would help at all, unless it's a reliable antibody test and we have some evidence (if not proof) that antibodies imply some degree of immunity.

Also, if quarantine is required or is a risk, having the destination government pay for the designated hotel, F&B, etc. doesn't solve the problem in that I've carefully selected the hotel where I *want* to stay and use the facilities. Chances are that my cancellation period has passed even on refundable reservations (which are unlikely to be available for example in Greece during high season, where the norm is to require a substantial nonrefundable deposit if not full prepayment in advance of arrival). Also I'm unlikely to be happy about F&B provided for free to quarantine victims. Making it free doesn't solve the problem at all IMO unless it's free in a hotel of *my* choosing and I have carte blanche to order exactly the F&B *I* want fro at east any of the hotels restaurants via room service.

Last edited by MSPeconomist; Jun 3, 2020 at 9:38 pm

Owenc

Join Date: Mar 2014

Location: Northern Ireland

Posts: 722

Yes, I know and I feel bad for them. It’s a beautiful country, I hope they don’t put their people in jeopardy for tourism.

GUWonder

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IstKong

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Portugal have a huge diaspora in Europe. France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, etc.. All of those countries have many portuguese working there and needing flights to their homeland.

Also, lots of retirees from the above countries live in Portugal and need flights to their homeland.

Not so much tourism related actually.

Last edited by IstKong; Jun 4, 2020 at 7:29 am

84fiero

Join Date: May 2009

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I can empathize with their stir-crazy feelings. What do Swedes seem to be thinking about non-Swedish travelers coming in to Sweden this summer?

The_Bouncer

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Interesting question. I am seriously considering spending a couple of months up there if my work situation doesn't improve pretty dramatically in the next few weeks.

GUWonder

Join Date: Jul 2001

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Mostly still fine with whatever their government/bureaucracy allows for travel into Sweden, but there seems to be growing annoyance about:

1) the lack of reciprocity from other countries: and
2) the Swedish government’s foreign travel warnings (which put at risk most travel insurance coverage for most Swedes with Swedish insurance coverage); and
3) advisory to not travel more than 2 hours by road from home.

And all this while there have been at least two days within the last 20 days where so many Danish tourists had come to Sweden that it caused 1.5-4 mile long traffic jams on the Danish-bound side of the bridge connecting the two countries when they all wanted to head home from their trip to/via Sweden.

In Sweden, there is no noticeable gain in general anti-foreign tourist sentiment aimed at tourists, in as far as I can tell.

Last edited by GUWonder; Jun 4, 2020 at 8:48 am

MSPeconomist

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Spain too, and many of the people from Portugal who are working abroad are employed in the hospitality industry.

There are also a lot of university students studying elsewhere in (mostly western) Europe, plus academic faculty and researchers. In principle, EU faculty positions have been open equally to other EU nationals for decades and language requirements have been disappearing too. [The reality of this differs by country and other specifics.]

exbayern

Join Date: Sep 2006

Posts: 6,967

There are actually in Paris and in London I think some of the largest concentrations of Portuguese. I'm not sure how many of those are actually flying back and forth regularly (I know some) as many have become quite established in their new homelands. However there was certainly enough demand from the UK for airlines like Jet2 to be offering flights from around the country. I am always amazed when I am at LIS and someone from the UK tells me that they have a holiday home in the Algarve, have come for every season for years, and then ask 'is Lisbon nice?'. Most of the urban tourism is definitely not coming from the UK.

There was already a concern that Brexit would significantly impact tourism. Germans are fickle, and the hot spots for German tourists tend to change every few years. German tourism already dropped, although Lufthansa put flights into OPO already in May as one of their first rebuilding destinations as they saw strong demand for LIS.

https://www.euronews.com/2019/08/02/...er-brits-visit

But I believe that this tangent was started by a poster from the UK asking about why there would be flights from the UK to Portugal, which seems quite obvious.