While waiting for the European Health Card, tourist countries are getting organized

France Press agency , Posted on Tuesday May 11, 2021 at 8:45 PM

The European Commission is preparing to travel between the European Union countries to establish a European Health Certificate, which it wants to operate before the end of June. But several countries have taken the initiative in order not to lose the tourist season.

France

France, the world leader in the presence of 90 million tourists in 2019, announced a schedule for a multi-phased recovery between May 19 when shops, museums and theaters can reopen with scales as well as balconies, on June 9 when cafes and restaurants will be able to reopen indoors and will be Welcoming tourists with a health card and a virtual return to normal on June 30th.

This schedule remains subject to a condition that the incidence rate remains below 400 per 100,000. Otherwise, the sanitary Emergency Brakes may be activated.

Greece

Greece, which reopened its balconies on May 3, relies on its “COVID-free” islands to boost tourism. It has worked hard to complete the vaccination of the islands by mid-May to accommodate the millions of tourists who come every year.

Private beaches have reopened since Saturday, museums will follow on May 14, open-air cinemas on May 21 with reduced capacity and theaters on May 28.

Since mid-April, the country has lifted the mandatory seven-day quarantine of permanent residents of the member states of the European Union, the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates.

Cruise passengers are also welcome at the country’s ports, where tourism accounts for more than 20% of GDP, according to the World Trade and Tourism Council (WTTC), which brings together the main operators of global tourism.

Spain

In 2019, Spain welcomed 83.5 million foreigners, making it the second largest tourist destination in the world. In 2020, the country severely affected by the COVID-19 virus saw an attendance drop of 77%.

With bars, museums, restaurants and theaters opening without interruption since June 2020, the Madrid area, the most tolerant in Spain, has in recent months become a refuge for European tourists, especially the French, who can enter, as is the case elsewhere in Spain, with the only condition being a PCR test. Negative less than 72 hours.

Since Sunday, the Spaniards have also been allowed to leave their area and the curfew has been lifted with the exception of the Balearic Islands or in the region of Valencia who had to get the green light from the courts.

Tourism accounts for 14.1% of GDP, according to the WTTC.

Italy

To return foreign tourists, Italy intends to present a national passport for vaccination from the second half of May, one month before the introduction of the European passport announced by the European Commission.

It will be allowed to travel in all regions, and it will be released in the same conditions as European: vaccination or infection with Covid-19, support for a serological test, or a negative test for the virus. Tourism Minister Massimo Jaravaglia said that the Italian passport “is valid for everyone, and therefore above all for tourists outside the European Union.”

He explained that “the United States and Britain make up more than 30% of foreign arrivals to Italy, and they are tourists who spend a lot.”

Cruises from Italian ports have also resumed. Bars and restaurants can now serve their customers outdoors.

Italy welcomed 64.5 million travelers in 2019, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Malta

The island of Malta, which welcomed 2.8 million tourists in 2019 according to the World Tourism Organization, is offering a voucher of up to 200 euros per person for stays of at least three nights in a star hotel. This amount, which must be spent on site, increases by 10% if you stay on the island of Gozo. This offer is limited to the first 38,000 reservations.

Depending on the development of the epidemic in the country of origin and focusing on the cutting-edge map published by the European Union, Malta may require a vaccination or a negative PCR test for less than 72 hours.