The travel industry of the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) hasn’t looked promising for several months due to the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.
With vaccinating about 44% of EU adults (as per WHO and ECDC reports) and tourist activity increasing in line, Europe is expected to reopen in June.
As Europe has seen the largest decline in new Covid-19 cases and fatalities compared to the other countries globally, it has started the booking activities to welcome tourists again. With Europe easing the Covid-19 restrictions and ban on international travellers, it has recorded a momentum booking of 60% for the first time since March 2020, as reported by SiteMinder.
Even European demand reflects on airline schedules, registering a 16% increase in flights carrying passengers in the third week of May, The Telegraph reported.
Looking at the current scenario of Europe, many EU nations are expected to announce when they may open. Interim leader of the World Travel & Tourism Council, Virginia Messina, told Forbes, “summer is a crucial season for most markets in Europe and the UK, and we hope to see restrictions ease.” However, border regulations raise uncertainty for customers.
While the EU is not entirely open yet, many Schengen region countries are open for tourism. Moreover, you can enter some countries without being quarantined or fully vaccinated, wherein some are allowing entry to other EU countries and anybody with a negative RT-PCR report for Covid-19. With this, many other EU nations like France aim to reopen anytime in June and July, respectively.
The EU Digital Covid Certificate concept has already been introduced and firmly in effect to ease up travel through Europe this summer. Like France’s TousAntiCovid app, you can carry it in the form of a QR code after seeking approval from the European Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee. Once got the nod, you could carry it on paper or in the form of a digital application on your mobile.
