EU will push to unlock borders as coronavirus ravages travel and tourism

[webfact]

EU will push to unlock borders as coronavirus ravages travel and tourism

By Gabriela Baczynska

 

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the empty beach of the Promenade des Anglais in Nice during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in France, May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File Photo

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union executive will recommend on Wednesday that border restrictions be gradually lifted and travel stalled by the coronavirus pandemic allowed to restart in order to revive tourism, a major industry across the 27-country bloc.

 

Nearly all travel has been halted in Europe, a devastating blow for the tourism sector, which normally contributes almost one-tenth of the EU's economic output.

 

Even within the Schengen area, comprising 26 EU and other European countries, and where frontiers are normally invisible, at least 17 countries have put emergency border controls in place to contain the virus.

 

The executive European Commission will make a slew of non-binding recommendations, including that targeted restrictions replace a general ban on travel, and that internal border checks slowly be lifted as the health situation improves.

 

The three Baltic states have already decided to reopen borders to each others' citizens from May 15, creating a "travel bubble" within the EU as pandemic curbs are eased.

 

But the overall picture is not rosy, with even countries that are cautiously relaxing their strictest lockdown measures moving towards imposing a two-week quarantine period for travellers arriving from abroad.

 

The Commission estimates some 6.4 million jobs could be lost in tourism, which employed 12 million people before the crisis.

 

The sector suffered an 80-90% loss in turnover in the first quarter of 2020, four hospitality industry lobby groups said, and is braced for a disastrous summer season as the EU faces its deepest-ever recession.

 

EFFAT, FoodDrinkEurope, FoodServiceEurope and HOTREC said a significant share of the trillion-euro COVID economic recovery fund the bloc is discussing should go toward supporting their sector. They said they needed liquidity support and fiscal relief, as well as other resources to protect jobs.

 

The Commission will also defy calls from airlines and a group of EU member states led by Germany for the EU to suspend laws guaranteeing travellers a full cash refund for cancelled flights and trips.

 

It will instead recommend that cash-strapped airlines and travel companies make vouchers they are offering instead of cash more attractive, to convince grounded clients to accept them.

 

(Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Catherine Evans)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-05-13

 

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[Boomer6969]

Let us hope that our Generals won't adopt that line of thinking. Thailand need's to remain closed and to cleanse and reinvent its international tourism until a worldwide COVID response is established.

[at15]

2 minutes ago, Boomer6969 said:

Let us hope that our Generals won't adopt that line of thinking. Thailand need's to remain closed and to cleanse and reinvent its international tourism until a worldwide COVID response is established.

why would you support death and destruction? time to start a path to normalcy. 

[bbi1]

What a bunch of idiotic fools in the EU. They want to kill as many of their citizens as they can!!

[bert bloggs]

Britain has remained open to tourists all the time ,The border control taxi service picks them up and delivers them daily from the channel ,we even fly the 6ft tall children in from camps in Greece ,they do not even need money as we supply them with it as well as a place to stay and plenty of free food .

[simple1]

14 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

Britain has remained open to tourists all the time ,The border control taxi service picks them up and delivers them daily from the channel ,we even fly the 6ft tall children in from camps in Greece ,they do not even need money as we supply them with it as well as a place to stay and plenty of free food .

rather than posting misinformation concerning refugees why not take a look at some facts.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/11/refugee-families-reunited-in-uk-after-rescue-flight-from-greece

[simple1]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Commission will also defy calls from airlines and a group of EU member states led by Germany for the EU to suspend laws guaranteeing travellers a full cash refund for cancelled flights and trips

By comparison I have a flight booked Oz to Thailand in November. Thai are offering to extend the ticket validity until 12/21 for the same class & route if travel restrictions stay in place or voucher for alternative flight route. No fees for changes.

[bert bloggs]

9 minutes ago, simple1 said:

rather than posting misinformation concerning refugees why not take a look at some facts.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/11/refugee-families-reunited-in-uk-after-rescue-flight-from-greece

sorry i i find the guardian want me to pay them ,and i find the softer paper much better on my bottom .

also why did we not send their families to be reunited with them in Greece?

Edited May 13, 2020 by bert bloggs

[khunken]

6 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

sorry i i find the guardian want me to pay them ,and i find the softer paper much better on my bottom .

also why did we not send their families to be reunited with them in Greece?

Unlike many other newspapers, the Guardian does not have a paywall and only ASKS for a contribution. Reading an article on their website does not involve any paper.

Seems more like you just want to persist with your lack of knowledge by refusing to read news that contradicts your bias.

[4737 Carlin]

9 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

Let us hope that our Generals won't adopt that line of thinking.

"our Generals" ? I guess you must be a Thai citizen. As a foreigner they're not "our" anything. They barely tolerate us being here.

[4737 Carlin]

7 hours ago, simple1 said:

rather than posting misinformation concerning refugees why not take a look at some facts.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/11/refugee-families-reunited-in-uk-after-rescue-flight-from-greece

Yes, The Guardian has no political bias whatsoever.

[Chomper Higgot]

7 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

Britain has remained open to tourists all the time ,The border control taxi service picks them up and delivers them daily from the channel ,we even fly the 6ft tall children in from camps in Greece ,they do not even need money as we supply them with it as well as a place to stay and plenty of free food .

Venting your off topic xenophobia again.

 

You should write to Boris, it’s he who control the borders.

 

 

[mrfill]

4 minutes ago, 4737 Carlin said:

Yes, The Guardian has no political bias whatsoever.

Unlike the Daily Telegraph, The Times, Daily Express, Daily Mail and The Sun of course. All owned by billionaire tax avoiding non-doms.

[Chomper Higgot]

7 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

sorry i i find the guardian want me to pay them ,and i find the softer paper much better on my bottom .

also why did we not send their families to be reunited with them in Greece?

The idea of paying for a newspaper, that’s new to you?

[bert bloggs]

31 minutes ago, 4737 Carlin said:

Yes, The Guardian has no political bias whatsoever.

That is funny ,i know most newspapers are rubbish at reporting these days ,but at least they are entertaining ,unlike the left Wing Guardian ,dry as dust .

[simple1]

11 hours ago, 4737 Carlin said:

Yes, The Guardian has no political bias whatsoever.

Read the content link, it's news reporting, not an opinion piece