BUSINESS NEWS A lack of coordination in Europe is hindering travel’s restart, says Ian Taylor
Industry warned: Don’t be frivolous or forget Covid
Travel can’t resume “too fast”, the head of the European Travel Commission (ETC) has warned. Eduardo Santander, ETC
executive director, said: “We have to behave in a cautious way. Our industry cannot be too fast. That would be a tremendous error.” He told a virtual Destination
Summit: “Every step has to be double checked. We can’t be frivolous and forget about Covid.” Santander noted: “Some
businesses are not willing to open yet, preferring to [wait] until everything is up and running, and that is a valid decision. We can’t force things to happen.”
He said: “Governments have to
be transparent if there is an outbreak. That is very important. Covid is a risk, [but] that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. We can respect new rules and also have a holiday.” Portugal’s secretary of state
for tourism Rita Marques said: “Most [tourism] assets in most countries have not been damaged by Covid-19. All the characteristics that make Portugal and Europe a good destination will be ready.”
Eduardo Santander, ETC
‘Travel is in for a bumpy ride and period of peak uncertainty’
The former head of VisitBritain has warned travel is in “a period of peak uncertainty” and media reports of “disaster” threaten a recovery. Christopher Rodrigues,
World Travel & Tourism Council ambassador and former chairman of VisitBritain, said the industry should prepare for the next 12-24 months “to be bumpy”. He told a virtual Destination
Summit hosted by the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council and Finn Partners: “I share everyone’s excitement about people coming back, but we are in a period of peak uncertainty because we have no economic solution at hand. “There are a bunch of
uncertainties, and we have to recognise that.” Rodrigues said: “The real risk
is if there are outbreaks in holiday destinations and governments don’t control the messaging, because consumers are sensitive. “When we get to winter, when
we get to the first outbreaks, when unemployment really kicks in and savings are depleted, this industry needs messaging to be positive, not hyperbole and disaster on a daily basis. It is going to be bumpy.” He warned: “The person who
is going to pay for everything to recover from Covid is the consumer. It’s only a question of how that is delivered.”
‘EU states lack common approach’ Ian Taylor
The industry must accept the failure to coordinate the resumption of travel and tourism across Europe as “the price” of restarting, according to senior figures in the sector. The EU recommended a
relaxation of internal border restrictions by member states from June 15 and opening of external borders to travel from a list of non-EU countries from July 1. But several EU states retain quarantine or other restrictions. Rita Marques, secretary of state
for tourism in Portugal, said: “The conditions that apply in each EU member state are really different. Each state has been deciding what they want based on different criteria. They don’t have a common approach.”
travelweekly.co.uk Eduardo Santander, executive
director of the European Travel Commission (ETC), said: “This is the price – a reopening in different stages.” Marques warned last month:
“A coordinated approach is not happening and member states are negotiating among themselves.” But she told the virtual Destination Summit hosted by the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council: “We have to cope with that. We have a huge challenge ahead, but it’s also a big opportunity.” The Council of the European
Union recommended a list of just 14 non-EU countries to which EU states should open their borders from July 1, plus China, if Beijing makes reciprocal arrangements. The list contains fewer countries than the UK quarantine-free list of destinations. However, Santander praised
the work of the EC, saying: “I’ve never seen in Brussels such a good response. There has been so much support, first of all financially – 22% of [EU] funding dedicated to the recovery is going to be dedicated to tourism.” Santander revealed the ETC
had been “working to get to a list of 30 countries permitted to travel to the EU”, but said: “It’s not easy.” However, he said “there has not been a controversy” over the shorter list, insisting: “The decision to not open to the US is valid. Nobody has complained. “Now it is the decision of each
member state to open or not. Every state is analysing its own circumstances. The countries that are not so affected want to avoid going back to square one because that could be a disaster, to restart from zero.”
16 JULY 2020
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