The EU’s official Brexit notification, last week, has prompted celebrations from the travel industry. And with good reason. The UK’s departure from the union, after a 52-year membership, is likely to hasten an industry-wide reform of the bloc’s arcane visa rules. This will require work from all 27 remaining EU members, including the UK. After all, the existing system is so convoluted that today’s tourists need to contact three different government departments if they want to visit the UK.
Today, the European Parliament voted to reopen the European Union, which was closed for five years. This is huge news for the travel industry, which benefits from the billions of dollars in trade that the EU supports. The reason the European Union is closed is that many member states, such as Greece has been in a tough financial situation for years. Along with the reopening, many new laws are expected to be created to help smaller countries and businesses.
In a strongly worded article, the EU came out in support of a new airline code-sharing agreement between the US and Canada. The EU has long been in favor of these agreements, since they allow airlines to transfer a greater number of passengers between the two markets, and to save airlines money. The new agreement, which is called the Canada-U.S. Open Skies Code of Practice, would allow travel on US airlines to Canada, and on Canadian airlines to the US.. Read more about latest news on travel and tourism and let us know what you think.Europe is reopening and Americans are eager to get there – that’s the view of industry leaders who welcomed the decision and stressed that this news will be a big boost for travel advisors. The announcement caused a global outcry, with organizations around the world welcoming the news, including the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). ADVERTISEMENT The news announced today by the EU is encouraging and welcomed by the entire travel and tourism industry, said Virginia Messina, Senior Vice President of the WTTC. We hope that EU ministers and member states will accept this position and extend the travel permit for US citizens. Current trend Reviving transatlantic travel is essential to rebuilding a weakened tourism industry and is crucial to the economies of Europe and the United States, but Messina also said unvaccinated travelers should be allowed into the country. Despite the impressive vaccine penetration rate in the United States, with nearly 40% of the population fully vaccinated, we should not discriminate against those who have not yet been vaccinated or are unable to get vaccinated, she said. Instead, we should allow unvaccinated Americans to travel to the EU with a negative test for COVID-19. During the pandemic, trips to Europe never left the minds of American travelers. Americans are eager to travel to Europe again, says Vicky Garcia, chief operating officer and co-owner of Cruise Planners, the travel agency of American Express. Even during the pandemic, Europe was cruise operators’ most popular destination for new bookings, accounting for around 25% of cruise operators’ purchase sales. Now that the first dates have been announced for opening Europe to vaccinated Americans, hopefully many of the cruises and land vacations planned for 2021 will come to fruition and our hard-working travel advisors will receive their well-deserved commissions. Allowing Americans to visit Europe is another step towards a new norm. The reopening of Europe is one of the lights in the pandemic tunnel we’ve been waiting for, said Misty Bells, Managing Director of Global Public Relations at Virtuoso. This means a rapprochement with normality and opens up the possibility of making travel meaningful again. This is good news for our European partners, who are eagerly awaiting the return of vaccinated persons, and for our members and consultants, who are usually actively booking trips to Europe. Summer may be the return to the continent, but we see signs that autumn will be the big return to Europe. Tour operators are also pleased with the return of visitors to Europe. The announcement that the EU plans to accept vaccinated U.S. citizens is a real boost for travel in general and for Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold in particular, said Guy Young, president of Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold. Europe is the most important destination for our company. While we still need more details on the launch date and logistical requirements, I’m confident that once the details are known, we will see a significant increase in orders. River cruises could also make their debut in mid-summer, if conditions continue to move in the right direction. We are very happy that the situation in Europe is moving in a positive direction, and we are very optimistic about the new tourist admission requirements that will be announced in the coming days, said Christine Karst, co-owner and executive vice president of AmaWaterways. Personally, as a German by birth, I could not be happier with today’s announcement that Europe will certainly welcome tourists this summer to help bring about the economic and social recovery it so desperately needs. Travel consultants can finally start planning time-shifted trips for their clients traveling to Europe, which will give them a much-needed boost in sales. Opening Europe to vaccinated U.S. travelers is an important step toward recovery that allows travel advisors to expand global planning when communicating with their clients, said Karrin Christopher, executive vice president of marketing and preferred partnerships at Signature Travel Network. Cancelled vacations that were never credited may end up being reconsidered and rescheduled, making expert planning more necessary than ever. Ms. Garcia also noted that customers who have waited more than a year for the opportunity to cross the pond are willing to put in a lot of effort. Our customers are telling us they are dying to get away, and due to pent-up demand, they are spending a lot of money on their European vacations, whether it’s river cruises, mainstream cruises to Central Asia, or even land tours and FIT hotel stays throughout Europe, Garcia says. Travel consultants are increasingly hearing from clients who want to travel to Europe. So this news is definitely music to their ears and to the ears of their customers. I get a lot of calls about traveling to Europe, says Scott Lara of CruiseGenius. There is a lot of pent up energy to travel, and Europe is at the top of the list. Garcia agrees that demand will increase. Once the summer dates are announced, the financial impact for travel advisors will be huge, as summer is a great time to travel to Europe, and the fact that nearly two peak periods have been cut will send a wave of Americans abroad, she says. Couple holding hands in Rome, Italy. (Photo via hocus-focus/E+)
The news that Europe is reopening is another sign that we are moving from a lockdown to a new situation. This news will increase consumer confidence and encourage vaccinated travelers to contact their travel advisors, whose role will remain paramount as each country responds and applies different procedures and protocols regarding COVID, Ms. Garcia said. The U.S. Travel Association praised the evidence-based European approach and noted that the United States should be next. The European Union’s science- and risk-based plan for resuming international travel will hopefully encourage the United States to heed the many calls for a plan and timetable to restore security at our borders, said Roger Doe, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. All conditions are met: The number of vaccinations increases, the number of infections decreases, all incoming visitors are tested or have to prove their cure, and vaccination status can be determined.The EU is reopening the Schengen agreement , the passport-free travel zone that allows citizens of 26 European countries to travel freely within the bloc. One of the main goals of the EU is to make it easier for travelers to move across Europe.. Read more about europe tourism news and let us know what you think.
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