beach chairs
© EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTANA view of an empty and closed beach in Tel Aviv, Israel, 26 March 2020.
The European Commission will adopt a comprehensive strategy on Wednesday (13 May) - already seen by EURACTIV - which aims to make sure governments reopen for tourism business in a coordinated manner. The EU executive will also wade into the divisive voucher vs refund debate.

Coronavirus lockdowns have closed borders, shuttered services and dealt a stunning blow to the EU's tourism sector. As the outbreak begins to show signs of subsiding, the question of how to go back to business as usual is on the agenda.


Comment: Does someone have to regulate this too? Wouldn't owners of businesses have this pretty much nailed?


The Commission's strategy, which is still subject to change and will be discussed by senior officials later today, will recommend a three-phase approach to reopening borders that brings together member states "with similar overall risk profiles".

Europe's disease control agency (ECDC) will be drafted in to keep a list of areas with low circulation of the virus, so that "blanket quarantine measures" within Schengen can start to be scrapped.

Non-discrimination on nationality rules will apply to any decisions. For example, if Austria were to relax border measures for arrivals from Germany, that would apply to all EU citizens that reside in the Bundesrepublik, not just Germans.

In its communication, the Commission notes that the virus is set to cost the global tourism industry up to €400 billion this year and uses data from the Joint Research Centre to map which EU members and regions are most exposed to the predicted slump.

All aboard

The issue of how to marry hygiene and social-distancing measures with a resumption of transport services is also dealt with in the draft communication, which again calls for a coordinated approach that does not discriminate against any member state.


Comment: Right. It discriminates against all humanoids.


"General principles will support prioritising the resumption of transport services for all nodes," the document says, adding that measures should be risk-based, proportionate and "limited in scope and duration to what is necessary to protect public health".

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced blowback after announcing new virus measures on Sunday evening (10 May), when he said travelers arriving by air would finally be subject to quarantine measures.


Comment: See Boris's grand snow-job presentation: Viruses are the new terrorists: British PM introduces five-tier 'coronavirus alert system'


The lack of clarity in the announcement over how the new checks will be made and whether they also apply to arrivals by ferry and Eurostar also raised concerns about whether the UK's lockdown policy is well thought out or not.

In the Commission document, guidelines on how to protect transport workers and react to changing epidemiological conditions are also included, as well as a proposal for "a bespoke zero-pollution & nature fund".


Comment: These aspects have no business as riders/mandates on the (also unnecessary) opening up protocol.


That focus on the sustainability aspect of travel is aimed at making sure the sector does not go back to its old polluting ways. It will include using renewable energy in hotels and replacing vehicles like tourist boats with less polluting vessels.


Comment: The global lockdowns have pretty much erased personal, local, regional and state funds. Who is going to pay for these mandatory upgrades based on bad science? Mr. Gates?


The draft communication also mentions "preparedness plans" that would help mitigate the impact of a second wave of the virus or another crisis.

Passengers first

Travelers will be able to consult an interactive map put together by the JRC, which will include the latest border controls, measures and travel conditions. The idea is to allow people to plan journeys more efficiently and even avoid traveling if possible.


Comment: How to annihilate tourism and keep folks in a 'virtual' lockdown?


Under the heading "Preserving consumer protection while addressing the issue of reimbursement claims", the draft document also broaches the subject of travel vouchers and cash refunds.

According to EU law, cancelled flights mean airlines must offer passengers a full cash refund. While allowing for the possibility of a voucher instead, the rules maintain that it is up to the consumer to decide which to accept.

A majority of member states and a growing number of MEPs had asked the Commission to propose a temporary waiver for that tenet in order to help travel companies preserve liquidity and offer coupons instead.

But the EU executive insists that refunds will remain the de facto safety net for passengers, although the guidelines will suggest a common rulebook for vouchers so that companies can try to make them as attractive as possible.

That will include insolvency protection, transferability options and a guarantee that they will be valid for a cash refund at the end of a one-year expiry date. The Commission says that protection against company bankruptcies should be organised at the national level.

"This will strengthen European citizens' confidence on which the transport, travel and tourism industry should re-build their recovery," the document adds and also confirms internal market Commissioner Thierry Breton's recent pledge to organise a tourism summit.