European Tourism Groups Urge EU to Replace Quarantine with COVID Testing

"Travel and tourism in Europe have suffered a devastating blow with the coronavirus crisis due to insufficiently coordinated border restrictions, a decline in traveler confidence and reduced consumer demand," laments Luís Araujo, president of the European Travel Commission. According to him, the industry simply cannot afford to have a fragmented image similar to inconsistent and constantly evolving national approaches for the upcoming fall and winter seasons.

"The freedom of movement and livelihoods of millions of people in Europe are at stake today, and the European Commission must show the way to restore travel within the EU," insists Mr. Araujo. According to the tourism associations, 27 million people working in this sector in Europe could lose their jobs due to the health crisis related to the coronavirus.

Faced with this situation, these associations are calling on the EU: "We urge you to make this a top priority and call on you to address this issue directly with heads of state and government... We also urge you to ensure that the Commission takes the lead in developing an EU testing protocol for travel and its implementation in order to avoid quarantines and reopen borders."