Germany wants to lift its travel warning on 31 European countries by June 15, if the development of pandemic figures permits it, according to an official government proposal, dw.com reports
Those countries include 26 nations in the European Union, along with four Schengen Area countries that are not members of the EU — Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The proposal, presented in a paper called “Criteria for the Enabling of intra-European Tourism,” is set to be decided on in the cabinet on Wednesday.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas issued a global travel warning on March 17, as Germany headed into a nationwide partial lockdown. The lifting of the warning is set to come just in time for the holiday season, to enable cross-border summer holidays within Europe.
The travel warning will be replaced by individual travel advice, which intends to highlight the risks for each individual country destination.
“The revitalization of tourism is important both for travelers and the German travel industry, as well as for the economic stability of the respective target countries,” the proposal notes.
The possible lifting of travel restrictions was also hailed by the German Travel Association.
“This not only gives companies in the travel industry a perspective [on the future], but also the many Germans who are looking forward to their [international] holidays,” stressed Nortbert Fiebig, the president of the association. The travel industry, with more than 11,000 travel agencies within Germany alone, has been one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
