This article covers May 2020. Visit our up-to-date article with the latest news on Corona virus and travel here: Corona virus travel updates.
If you are planning to travel, check out how to make sure that your travel insurance covers Corona virus.
The National Trust has announced it will be reopening a number of its gardens and parklands in England and Northern Ireland from 3 June. Advanced booking will be required to limit numbers and protect public safety. Read the full story.
It’s time to get your dancing shoes out. World-famous nightclub Zouk has partnered with the Singapore Tourist Board to host a series of virtual parties for clubbers around the world, with a line-up of local and international DJs, AR filters and 3D virtual backgrounds. Read the full story.
Croatia has lifted travel restrictions for ten EU nations. Citizens from the following countries will now be able to enter: Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Many Croatian hotels are already open for business. Read the full story.
Switzerland has announced it will be opening its borders to Schengen-zone nations by 6 July, while larger public gatherings, cinemas, theatres and concert venues will be back in business from 6 June. Read the full story.
Scotland will begin easing its lockdown restrictions on Friday. Phase One of the process will likely mean its residents can meet people from one other household, as long as they are outdoors and in groups of up to eight. Read the full story.
Restaurants, cafés and bars in Bulgaria will be allowed to open at full capacity from 1 June, ready for the summer season. Theatres and concert venues will also be able to throw their doors open, though discos and nightclubs will remain closed until at least 14 June. Read the full story.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched the first global safety stamp to recognize “Safe Travels” protocols to protect against Coivd-19. The safety and hygiene mark, intended to reassure consumers, has received backing from the United Nationals World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Read the full story.
Today Bali has reopened its borders to visitors, though there are a number of strict rules in place to ensure the safety of the public. Travellers must obtain a unique QR code and present a negative Covid-19 test certificate to be permitted. Read the full requirements.
To stem the social-media storm prompted by rumours that Japan would be paying half traveller’s expenses in a bid to stimulate tourism, the Japan Tourism Agency has clarified the matter. Plans are still under consideration, and would only cover a portion of domestic travel expenses.
Regarding reports by some news outlets that “The Japanese government is considering a campaign to help foreign tourists visiting Japan by offering support for half of their travel expenses,” please note that (1/2)
— 観光庁(Japan Tourism Agency) (@Kanko_Jpn) May 27, 2020
The UK has been excluded from Greece’s “white list” of low Covid-19 countries from which travellers are allowed to visit. The list includes nations with low infection rates – such as China, Japan, Poland, Serbia and Australia. Alongside the UK, other notable exclusions include Italy, Spain and the USA. Read the full story.
Thailand is looking into a “mix-and-match” scheme for quarantine waivers. New rules could match visitors from low-risk countries with low-risk areas within Thailand. Read the full story.
Vietnam has taken a tentative step towards reopening by announcing it will resume its issuing of e-visas from 1 July. Eighty countries – including Germany, India and South Korea – will be eligible for the scheme. Read the full story.
Though the changes might be small, European air traffic volumes are continuing to rise – providing more than a glimmer of hope. Meanwhile, in an interview, Ryanair CEO predicted that its planes would be up to sixty percent full in July, and that the UK would abandon its quarantine plans in the coming weeks.
Check out our latest Comprehensive Assessment of the impact of #COVID19 – including this on the additional flights last week compared to the week before. https://t.co/sSmD7kv5kT @Transport_EU @ECACceac @IATA @A4Europe @eraaorg @EBAAorg @CANSOEurope @ACI_EUROPE pic.twitter.com/8zBBEl5Su3
— Eamonn Brennan (@BrennanEN23) May 26, 2020
Spain has announced that foreign arrivals will no longer be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine period from 1 July, as the country looks forward to welcoming tourists back. Museums, hotels and bars have already started to open in Madrid and Barcelona.
The German government is keen to end travel warnings to a meaty 31 European countries by 15 June provided it is safe to do so. Hotels in some German states are reopening already. Read the full story.
Greece has continued down the road to reopening, restarting its island ferry services on Monday, while cafés and restaurants opened their doors, too. The country – which is heavily reliant on the tourist industry – is keen to make the most of the summer season. Read the full story.
From today, Denmark will allow entry to cross-border lovers from other Nordic nations and Germany. Couples will have to prove that they’ve been in a relationship for more than six months. Read the full story.
Coronavirus: Denmark to let cross-border couples meet - if they show photos, love letters https://t.co/UGV3Bh8oxq
— The Straits Times (@straits_times) May 25, 2020
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The UK is expected to announce its new quarantine proposal today, including a £1000 fine for anyone who fails to self-isolate for a fortnight on arrival. The rules – which will come into play next month – will apply to land, sea, train and air travel, and will include British nationals returning home from abroad. Read the full story.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has suggested companies contemplate a 4-day week in a bid to boost domestic tourism. The country has been one of the world’s coronavirus success stories. Ardern made the comments over a Facebook Live video chat, noting that employees could use their day off to travel, as well as maintaining a good work-life balance. Read the full story.
Austria is seeking to expand coronavirus testing to screen hotel staff in a move to bring back the tourists and increase consumer confidence. The country's hotels are due to open from 29 May, joining shops, restaurants, bars and some museums that have already reopened. Read the full story.
Easyjet is on course to resume a “small number” of flights in June after grounding its entire fleet in late March. The schedule will include domestic routes across the UK and France. Though flights will leave from Gatwick, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Belfast, the airline will only be operating one international service from the UK to start with: Gatwick to Nice. And though face masks will be mandatory, they won’t be leaving the middle row empty. Read the full story.
Three towns located in northwest France will see their beaches closed again – just days after they reopened – as locals were accused of flouting social-distancing rules. As restrictions eased around the country last weekend, hundreds of beaches reopened with new safety measures. Read the full story.
As of today, Emirates has resumed flights to nine international destinations, including to the UK (London Heathrow). The other eight cities now covered are: Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne.
Emirates sets industry-leading safety standard for customers at every step of the travel journey with the resumption of scheduled passenger flights. https://t.co/S8UMlLdP5R #FlyEmiratesFlyBetter pic.twitter.com/MLGY6iNkWa
— Emirates (@emirates) May 21, 2020
North America could be sealed off from international travel for the foreseeable future. The Canada-US border looks set to remain closed – aside from non-essential travel – until 21 June, while the USA and Mexico have extended travel restrictions at their land border, too. Read the full story.
Google has reported a seven hundred percent increase in searches for virtual tours over the last sixty days: with international travel almost universally off the cards, what better way to check out the world’s top galleries and museums? We’ve rounded up 12 of the best “virtual tourism” campaigns around the world, as well as 10 places you can visit by webcam.
Air Baltic are back up and running, and will be gradually offering more and more flights. The airline is the flag carrier of Latvia, which has been enjoying a low-risk “travel bubble” with Lithuania and Estonia since 15 May.
A long-awaited moment is finally here! 😍 As of today we resume our regular flights. Look up in the skies - you'll see our green tails there much more often! 📸 by Kristīne Limare pic.twitter.com/XGI1Y5I1nY
— airBaltic (@airBaltic) May 18, 2020
Thailand is to undergo a rebrand in the wake of coronavirus, taking the tagline “Amazing Trusted Thailand”. With new quotas on tourist numbers, the Southeast Asian nation also plans to target high spenders in the region. Read the full story.
Mental Health Week has kicked off with a range of virtual events around the world to calm the mind, from free yoga sessions live from Palm Springs to a Japanese guide to forest bathing (shinrinyoku) and a virtual cooking series all the way from Tahiti. This year’s theme is “kindness”, an important and universal message to take with us in these uncertain times.
Patricia Yates from Visit Britain has suggesting adding a bank holiday in October this year as a means to boost the tourist industry.
Patricia Yates from Visit Britain says the tourism industry is talking about a potential extra bank holiday in October, in order to extend their season this year, as businesses have lost the two vital May bank holidays.
— Joanna Partridge (@JoannaPartridge) May 19, 2020
The Italian government has released plans to stimulate the tourist industry by presenting its citizens with a travel voucher to be spent between July 2020 and the end of the year. Vouchers for individuals will represent €150, couples €300 and families with 3+ members €500 – to be spent in hotels and other types of accommodation. Read the full story.
Downing Street appeared to backtrack on suggestions that there would be no quarantine measures for French arrivals in the UK. A government spokesperson told reporters that “There isn’t a French exemption”. Read the full story.
Heathrow Airport has urged the UK government to go for a “travel-bubble” approach rather than instigating a 14-day quarantine for all international arrivals. The main issue with the airport’s suggestion is that travel bubbles rely on countries sharing “low-risk” status – a position the UK is yet to achieve. Read the full story.
You can already pick up a dazzling array of goods in Las Vegas airport’s two dozen vending machines, from cupcakes to toiletries. Now, you’ll be able to find PPE too: three machines at McCarran International Airport now offer Covid-19 protection, from face masks to hand sanitizer and gloves.
A new option to help protect yourself and others while traveling. LAS was the first airport to install PPE vending machines from which travelers can purchase items like gloves and hand sanitizer. These machines can be found in T1 ticketing and near the T3 TSA checkpoint. pic.twitter.com/1suaVel412
— Harry Reid International Airport (@LASairport) May 14, 2020
"Organized" beaches in Greece are set to open Saturday 16 May, with a range of new safety and hygiene rules in place. New measures include visitor quotas, ticket entrances, set distances between umbrellas and the prohibition of alcohol. Read the full story.
#COVID19 Encouraging to see that the number of flights yesterday was again up – to 5,386 (still 83.6% down on 2019). More growth expected as airlines restart routes but may be slow for some weeks. @Transport_EU @ECACceac @CANSOEurope @ACI_EUROPE @A4Europe @IATA @eraaorg @EBAAorg pic.twitter.com/P1wmQvLI8C
— Eamonn Brennan (@BrennanEN23) May 15, 2020
Though EU air traffic is still nearly 85 percent down on 2019 figures, the number of flights is steadily rising. It's encouraging news for the industry.
Today is Endangered Species Day – a time to reflect on the diversity of wildlife on our planet, and to herald the conservation efforts of those helping species fighting for survival. With the coronavirus impacting livelihoods all over the world, it's sadly been accompanied by a rise in poaching. Check out the @newbig5 project, calling for us to photograph animals rather than hunt them.
#newbig5 #wildlife #conservation#wildlifephotography #protectwildlife #endangeredspecies #endangeredspeciesday #extinction https://t.co/m6H4bTHE45 pic.twitter.com/OEToEntdCP
— @newbig5 (@newbig5project) May 15, 2020
Over in France, authorities have announced measures totting up to a meaty €18 billion to support its tourist sector, which has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic with the closure of restaurants, hotels and attractions. Read the full story.
In a weekly live video broadcasted to Airbnb hosts, company CEO Brian Chesky suggested that to compete with hotels this year, hosts would have to introduce strict cleaning protocols to reassure guests of their safety. While hotels may have more to think about than rented apartments – with shared spaces to navigate as well as guest numbers and turnover – travellers could be reassured by big-name hotel brands and government-endorsed hygiene stamps. Read the full story.
Two of the most popular national parks in the USA are set to begin their phased reopening to visitors over the next few days. Read the full story.
News Release: Yellowstone National Park will reopen on a limited basis on May 18. To read the full news release and Yellowstone COVID-19 Reopening Plan visit: https://t.co/Nvihw5szni https://t.co/ppLifjGgmv pic.twitter.com/DrNjDvJD07
— Yellowstone National Park (@YellowstoneNPS) May 13, 2020
The message ensuing from the EU today is that there will be a summer season, "even if it's with security measures and limitations." States across the continent are beginning to lift their border restrictions, with Austria and Germany the latest states to reveal their plans to start reopening to international travel. Read the full story.
We propose new guidance on how to safely resume travel and reboot Europe’s tourism in 2020 and beyond.
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) May 13, 2020
Tourism is vital to the Single Market as well as a key contributor to the EU's economic, social and cultural way of life.
More in the thread ↓ #StrongerTogether #EUtourism
Iceland has announced it will be bringing visitors back no later than 15 June. Under current restrictions, no one can enter the country from outside the Schengen Zone, and those that do are subject to a fourteen-day quarantine. From 15 May, citizens of the Faroe Islands and Greenland will be able to make landfall on Iceland without any quarantine period. After 15 June, tourists from around the world will once again be permitted: new arrivals with have the choice of a two-week quarantine, taking a test for the virus on arrival, or presenting a clean health record from authorities back home. Read the full story.
With an stunning record of zero deaths caused by coronavirus (and under three hundred confirmed cases), Vietnam's travel industry is now gearing up apace. Local transport – including domestic flights and bus and train services – is back up and running, while restaurants and shops have continued to reopen since late April. International air travel is likely to begin a phased return to the country in June. Read the full story.
The EU is expected to advise opening borders between member states with "similar overall risk profiles" according to a leaked document – with the announcement expected to be issued from Brussels on Wednesday. Read the full story.
Ryanair is planning to resume forty percent of its services in July, giving hope for the summer season. Under new guidelines, customers will have their temperatures checked at the airport, where they will also wash their hands with sanitizer. Face-masks will be mandatory, while on board only cashless payments will be accepted and travellers will be required to raise their hands to use the toilet. Read the full story.
In other news concerning the airline, Ryanair this week also released its 2021 summer sale, with flights to Spain from just £37, Germany from £28 and France from £30. Read the full story.
In a national address on Sunday evening, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced minor lockdown changes to come into effect from Wednesday – including encouraging those who can't work from home to return to the office, and allowing unlimited outdoor exercise and even a spot of sunbathing. He suggested that schools could go back and shops could partially reopen as early as 1 June, while the hospitality industry could start its revival – with socially distanced measures – from 1 July. He also outlined a new, five-tiered Covid Alert System, warning the public that should they flout the rules and cases start to rise again, restrictions would be upped once more.
In a further development, Johnson detailed a 14-day quarantine period for new arrivals to the UK. Read the full story.
Qatar Airways is to start up its flight schedule again, resuming operations to fifty destinations – including Heathrow, Edinburgh, Manchester and Dublin – by the end of May. The airline said it expected to see short-haul flights favoured first, followed by an upsurge of longer visits to see family and friends. Read the full story.
Wizz Air founder József Váradi has suggested that young people will be keen to take to the skies again as soon as they are allowed. Though the airline has cut 1000 jobs across Europe, Váradi reports they are currently selling seventy-five percent of their seats, and are planning to launch new routes to four Greek islands for the summer season, as well as to Faro in Portugal's Algarve. Read the full story.
Ready for the Baltic travel bubble – due to commence on 15 May – the Estonian capital of Tallinn has started lifting restrictions for select venues and activities.
Tallinn will begin slowly opening up in the coming days. By decision of the government of Estonia & city of Tallinn, some restrictions will be gradually lifted, but caution will be key. Read more about what changes are happening & #VisitTallinnLater https://t.co/CFK26wZKtM pic.twitter.com/kqlF5qfOKC
— VisitTallinn (@VisitTallinn) May 7, 2020
In a bid to reassure visitors, VisitBritian intends to introduce a quality mark to guide travellers to attractions deemed safe to visit in the wake of coronavirus. It mirrors the "Clean & Safe" stamp announced by Portugal in late April. Read the full story.
From 15 May, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will allow free movement between them, creating a Baltic “travel bubble”. Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis commented, “we have agreed that all three Baltic states have properly contained the spread of the coronavirus, and we trust each others’ health systems.” People entering from outside the bubble will still need to quarantine for a fortnight. Read the full story.
Airlines around the world are starting to think about how to guarantee customer safety as travel restrictions are gradually lifted. You might have heard mumblings of vacant middle seats, luggage disinfectant, health screenings at airports and even back-facing seats. Anything is possible. Read the full story.
In the run up to the 75th anniversary of VE Day, a range of memorials, commemorations and other events have been cancelled as a result of coronavirus. Instead, pay a visit to Europe Remembers, a campaign run by the Liberation Route Europe, which allows people around the world to join live conversations with veterans and eyewitnesses. There’s the opportunity to ask your own questions, as well as listen to their first-hand accounts. Read the full story.
Alternatively, order a copy of Travel The Liberation Route Europe for the ultimate history lesson from your armchair, a partnership project between Rough Guides and the Liberation Route Europe.
Live Video Chats With Vets And Eyewitnesses Commemorate End Of World War IIhttps://t.co/thnuhwosmo
— LRE Foundation (@lre_foundation) May 4, 2020
The Czech Republic will lift its ban on international bus and train travel from 11 May, as the country seeks to ease pressure on its economy. Routes will obviously still be impacted by the rules of its neighbours. Read the full story.
China's decision to extend its three-day Labor Day holiday into a five-day affair seems to have paid off, with domestic travel seeing a welcome rebound. Though Chinese citizens opted for attractions closer to home, spending has quadrupled since April's Ching Ming Festival. All eyes were on China, where Labor Day was viewed as a barometer of how travel and spending patterns might look in the aftermath of the pandemic. Read the full story.
Meanwhile, over in Ireland, the Tourist Office has released an evocative video on Vimeo entitled "I will return: Ireland's poetic mood". Green hills, wild horses and craggy shores will have you craving the great outdoors.
The Great American road trip is the stuff that bucket lists are made of, and – as restrictions start to lift in select states in the USA – the Americans seem to agree. Data shows that road trips were up 23 percent in Georgia, with an 8.2 percent increase across the nation as a whole. Read the full story.
It'll come as no surprise that the USA's National Travel and Tourism Week will look a bit different to previous years. With actual travel off the cards, this year's celebrations will focus on the strength and resilience of the travel industry. Imaginative events include a Virtual Road Trip – launching on Tuesday 5 May – highlighting evocative destinations and key industry players that embody the spirit of American travel from coast to coast. Read the full story.
Grab your camera, wanderlust and bucket list. 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 we are heading on a #VirtualRoadTrip across the U.S. to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week. What stop are you most looking forward to? 🗺️ #nttw20 pic.twitter.com/kc3my3bqDq
— U.S. Travel (@USTravel) May 5, 2020
As part of National Travel and Tourism Week, Puerto Rico is offering live guided tours via Google Earth. This week, three online tours will be hosted by guide Jorge Montalvo, each lasting around 30 minutes. Armchair travel just got much more exciting. Read the full story.
You might have heard mention of "social bubbles" in the news recently as a possible means to help gradually lift lockdown in the UK. The idea is that households would join together into groups of up to ten individuals, creating social bubbles as a step towards increasing social contact. Travel bubbles are a similar idea: two or more countries allowing people to move exclusively between them as they shift towards opening their borders. Politicians from Australia and New Zealand are considering a travel corridor (or "bubble") between the nations – they are natural partners because of their proximity, close bilateral relationship and the fact that the countries already have a high level of tourist exchange. Read the full story.
European capitals from Brussels to Paris are looking to use their lockdowns as an opportunity to combat car congestion. The plan is to encourage city citizens to swap their cars – and the frustration of bumper-to-bumper traffic jams – for trusty bicycles when restrictions are lifted: a healthy move for the people and the planet. The Belgian government has already promised to turn 40km of main roads into cycle paths ready for when Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed, while Paris is another city looking towards the Dutch model. It could be the start of a cycle revolution. Read the full story.
Mobility during and after #COVID19: #Brussels redistributes public space 👇
— Elke Van den Brandt (@elkevdbrandt) April 29, 2020
🚶🏿 15 km + historical center ➡️ slow streets (20 km/h)
🚲 40 km extra bicycle lanes
Thanks for the inspiration, @Anne_Hidalgo @ClaudiaLopez @BirgitHebein @bkkbudapest @MarcoGranelliMI @MariaeJara! pic.twitter.com/7Ok3dawzhz
Greece, which is to begin lifting its restrictions on 4 May, is hoping to welcome tourists back as early as July this year. Hotels are expected to open from 1 June, though rules will remain in place to protect travellers and locals against coronavirus. What exactly this will mean for summer holidaymakers remains to be seen. Read the full story.
To find out more, read Rough Guides' overview of what coronavirus means for the travel industry.
Labor Day in China this year means a five-day holiday (the government upped it from the normal three days to encourage its citizens to spend, spend, spend). How the population chooses to spend their break in the aftermath of coronavirus could be an important indication of what's to come in other destinations around the world. In a bid to bring the punters back, Chinese hotels are pulling out all the stops, offering alluring discounts and even setting up live streams inside their businesses (which actually seems to work!) Read the full story.
Cyprus' tourist minister has indicated that Cyprus could begin to open its shores to travellers – gradually and safely – from July. However, British tourists will have to wait a bit longer: arrivals will be limited at first to countries within the EU. But, as VisitCyprus says, it'll be worth the wait. Read the full story.
Stay home, stay safe and when all this blows over, come to #Cyprus and celebrate! 🎉#StaySafe #BetterDaysAreComing #visitCyprus pic.twitter.com/wqMTYxs4mr
— VisitCyprus (@visitcyprus) April 30, 2020
Luxury Family Hotels has announced that it will open its hotels to NHS staff and their families exclusively post lockdown – with a free overnight stay to say thank you for their hard work during the pandemic. It joins projects like 10 or More's #HotelsThankTheNHS, which has a similar remit – the latter has more than 100 hotels participating in their scheme, offering free staycations in sumptuous hotels like the five-star Landmark Hotel in London.
We are currently in contact with UK hospitals to make arrangements for distributing #HotelsThankTheNHS once the pandemic is over! If you work for an NHS Trust, message us with a contact so we can get in touch! #OneTravelIndustry https://t.co/4AWahvPLc6 pic.twitter.com/xITLSVqZIq
— 10 or More - Hotels for Groups (@10ormore_hotels) May 4, 2020
Portugal has shown it is gearing up to welcome holidaymakers back to its shores with the introduction of a scheme that allows business to apply for a "Clean & Safe" stamp. The stamps, which are free to apply for, will guarantee the business meets hygiene and social-distancing protocols to protect against Covid-19. It's a hopeful sign for anyone still planning on a European summer holiday – the Canary Islands and Spain are looking at similar initiatives. Read the full story.
While coronavirus cases are still on the rise in Poland, a government spokesman has indicated that its hotels will be open in time for the summer season. Read the full story.
With travellers unable to make it to Croatia's alluring shores in person, the tourist board has launched the Croatia Long Distance Love Campaign. On the website, you can take virtual tours around the beautiful country, from exploring the walled city of Dubrovnik to taking a kayaking trip. Visit the site yourself.
Croatia’s natural beauty never ends...
— Croatia Full of life (@Croatia_hr) April 29, 2020
Welcome Croatia to your home!
We can't wait to see you!#CroatiaLongDistanceLove pic.twitter.com/jSisneNQqV
Austria is paving the way to become one of the first European countries to welcome visitors back, with its government giving the go-ahead for hotels to open as early as 29 May. Hotels in the grand old capital of Vienna have already reported a raft of bookings for mid-June, while airlines Ryanair and EasyJet are taking bookings, too – good news for travellers everywhere. Read the full story.
The Lithuanian capital has announced it will give many of its public spaces – squares, streets and plazas – over to local cafés, restaurants and bars, allow them to spill their tables outwards and serve their punters while observing social-distancing rules. Lockdown measures are starting to be relaxed in the Baltic state, with many shops and cafés opening this week. The good news? Travellers may soon be able to head to Vilnius and enjoy a unique al-fresco Baltic experience. Read the full story.
To keep restaurants, bars and cafés afloat during the pandemic, the mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania, is opening up public spaces such as plazas and squares to be used for outdoor dining https://t.co/gGoAU23e5v
— CNN (@CNN) April 29, 2020
In a drive to bring back visitors to the Mediterranean island just off Italy's "boot", Sicily is offering major savings on holidays. In a striking move that will delight island-lovers everywhere, the regional government has announced it will cover half of flight prices and one third of hotel stays. Read the full story.
Eamonn Brennan, Director General of EUROCONTROL (the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation), has tweeted that with a coordinated approach, European aviation could begin to recover as early as mid-June. This could spell great news for travellers, who may be able to take to the skies again sooner than we thought.
#COVID19 latest traffic scenarios: if we have a coordinated approach, recovery can start mid-June 📈but if not will be later. Working together will deliver faster recovery. https://t.co/o8iW2RRNhv @Transport_EU @ECACceac @CANSOEurope @ACI_EUROPE @IATA @A4Europe @eraaorg @EBAAorg pic.twitter.com/5uy1Luk4TL
— Eamonn Brennan (@BrennanEN23) April 27, 2020
Argentina has taken the bold move of banning the sale of all commercial flights in and out of the country until September – one of the strictest travel bans in the world. Though many other countries around the globe have issued a freeze on "all but essential" travel, generally these restrictions are for the time being – with the aim to welcome visitors back as soon as possible – rather than setting a deadline months into the future. Here at Rough Guides, we're hoping this means its South American neighbours will be open to travellers a little earlier! While the National Civil Aviation Administration signed the degree in Argentina, there was outcry from the industry, which feels the outright ban could prove crippling. Read the full story.
As Greece prepares to lifts its lockdown restrictions, the government is also looking ahead and reimagining its tourist industry. This beautiful nation is heavily reliant on tourism, a mainstay of the economy which provides twenty percent of its GDP and employs one in five of its citizens. Though it's not entirely clear what the "specific new rules" are under which the industry will tentatively reopen, measures could include physical distancing at hotels and pools – and even leaving the middle seat in the plane empty. Read the full story.
Visit our blog on travelling during the coronavirus outbreak to see how your future travel plans might be affected.
Top image © Cat Box/Shutterstock
Helen worked as a Senior Travel Editor at Rough Guides and Insight Guides, based in the London office. Among her favourite projects to work on are inspirational guides like