With the tourism industry in freefall across Europe due to the shutdown in travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic, ministers from across the European Union have gathered to mull options on how to help the sector survive.
Coronavirus restrictions have all but shut down freedom of movement between EU countries, threatening to wipe out the summer season of travel that accounts for a significant proportion of the economy in several countries: as much as 17 per cent in Croatia, and 21 per cent in Greece.
Hotels stand empty, aircraft are grounded, and across the continent restaurants are closed, as restrictions to curb the pandemic brought an era of easy travel to a halt and confined citizens across the continent to their households and immediate neighbourhoods.
In a video conference call on Monday, ministers in charge of the tourism brief from across the EU met to compare national measures and co-ordinate on pan-EU priorities.
“The tourism sector has experienced an immense and unexpected decline in demand due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Croatian tourism minister Gari Cappelli, who chaired the meeting.
Mr Cappelli called for tourist corridors to be opened up between EU member states to facilitate the movement of tourists, guided by the advice of epidemiologists. Austria has previously suggested it could seek to open its border to travel from Germany, which has had a relatively low death rate from the virus.
Unacceptable risks
But Germany has urged its citizens to holiday at home. Foreign minister Heiko Maas warned over the weekend that opening up tourism could lead to a serious outbreak, recalling
the role of the Austrian ski resort Ischgl in spreading the virus across Europe.
“A European race to see who will allow tourist travel first will lead to unacceptable risks,” he told Bild am Sonntag.
Ireland is to set up a national Tourism Recovery Taskforce to plan how to help the sector recover, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross told the meeting, according to a statement.
Several ministers called for the tourism industry to be made a priority in a coronavirus recovery plan which is being drawn up by the European Commission for consideration by member states.
The European commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, said "unprecedented funds" would be needed, suggesting member states should be prepared to increase their contributions to the EU budget to give it the adequate firepower.
“We will need unprecedented funds to overcome this crisis. There is a need for a ‘new Marshall Plan’, with a powerful EU budget, to jump-start the path towards European recovery and a stronger and more resilient Union,” Mr Breton said.
“We will need fast action, pragmatism and creativity to recover and build a resilient and sustainable tourism industry. But above all, this crisis calls for solidarity. No country can overcome this crisis alone.”
