Travel despite travel warning? What vacationers should know in 2020

"There are currently warnings against unnecessary tourist trips abroad, as severe drastic restrictions in international air and travel traffic, worldwide entry restrictions, quarantine measures and restrictions on public life can still be expected in many countries. This applies until further notice, initially until June 14, 2020 inclusive.
Tourists who are still abroad should travel back while there are still travel options. "

Federal Foreign Office travel warning (as of April 30, 2020)

International travel warning until at least June 14, 2020

In 2019, according to an analysis by the research association Vacation and Travel of 70.8 million vacation trips by Germans, 74 percent went abroad. The Corona virus already has Easter holidays on its conscience, now Pentecost holidays must believe in it too – at least when it comes to traveling abroad. At least we can still dream of a summer vacation on the Mediterranean.

Maas warns of "quick conclusions" when it is lifted – travel warnings could be withdrawn earlier for some countries

Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) has reaffirmed his warning against premature resumption of travel. "If people can not only fly abroad again, but also come back with sufficient security, then we can gradually reduce the travel warning," Maas told the newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe (Monday editions). "But there shouldn't be any quick shots."

"We cannot and will not bring a quarter of a million people back from vacation in the summer," said Maas, referring to the large-scale return campaign for German travelers that started in mid-March due to the Corona crisis. Due to the pandemic, the Foreign Office is currently receiving a worldwide travel warning. This had been extended on Wednesday until at least June 14th.

Maas announced that the travel warning would be withdrawn faster for some countries than for others. Some states "were able to curb the outbreak early on by taking drastic measures and are afraid of getting the virus back in the country if they open the borders," the minister told the Spark media. "That is also why I do not want to rule out the possibility of differentiated solutions."

The borders in Europe should not be closed "a day longer than necessary", emphasized Maas. As a Saarlander, he was "very aware of what the current restrictions mean for living together in the border regions".

But the federal government must also "control and coordinate the opening of borders so as not to jeopardize the progress made in the fight against the virus, for which we have all sacrificed part of our normal life in recent weeks," emphasized Maas.

Check regulations in Germany and the holiday destination carefully

But before the first travel enthusiasts start planning their vacation, they should know the current regulations in Germany, but also in the travel countries. In the Federal Republic, for example, it is forbidden to travel for tourist purposes until at least May 10 due to the current contact restrictions. That means: Anyone who leaves the house is allowed to go to work or shop. You can also help family members and those in need. But driving to a place where you are not registered without an urgent reason for doing so can result in a fine.

However, easing of these regulations is slowly becoming apparent. For example, the first federal states are currently advising on the gradual reopening of restaurants and hotels, and visiting second homes and holiday apartments is already on many an agenda.

What loosening is discussed in which federal state read here.

The same applies to entry into most countries both inside and outside the EU. Even if entry is possible, travelers are usually required to be quarantined in many locations. After the recommended quarantine period of 14 days, most vacations should already come to an end.

Who is currently allowed to travel despite the travel warning

In principle, travel is still permitted in "urgent cases", such as for work or if there was a death in the family who lives abroad. However, travelers should then urgently carry with them documents proving the reason for their trip. To make matters worse, as Minister Maas emphasized, international air and travel traffic is currently largely at a standstill. You can find out whether and how you can enter your desired destination country on the website of its foreign representative.

However, what will happen after June 14 remains to be seen. Several countries, including Austria, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro, have announced that they will gradually increase their tourism.

Hope for summer vacation on the Mediterranean: travel industry does not give up summer

In general, the tourism industry hit hard by the Corona crisis announced that it was not yet losing the summer. The German Travel Association (DRV) said on Wednesday in Berlin. As soon as the development of the corona pandemic allowed, travel in Germany would initially be gradually possible. "After that, successive trips to other countries in Europe will follow, if it is there similar conditions exist as in Germany. "

Tour operator Tui also expects that the resumption of tourism in the Corona crisis will take place in stages. "Opening will probably take place gradually and regionally – for example, the Balearic and Canary Islands will be able to receive guests earlier than the holiday regions on the Spanish mainland," wrote Tui boss Fritz Joussen on Tuesday in a letter to the employees of the German press Agency is present.

The focus of the season is expected to shift backwards, it says. Industry and politics should now "do everything possible to make travel possible again as far as possible". For example, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Portugal sought to talk to Tui and were preparing “very intensively for the return of the tourists”. The prerequisite for this is a gradual adjustment of flight and travel restrictions. "One should not forget that the flight restrictions will deprive us of our full business base and the countries of southern Europe will be massively weakened," wrote Joussen.

Long-distance travel is unlikely in 2020

As far as traveling to distant countries is concerned, the Federal Government's Tourism Commissioner, Thomas Bareiß, gives little hope: "Long-distance travel will certainly not take place for a certain foreseeable future," said the CDU politician on Wednesday in radio station Bavaria 2. "We hope that if health permits, travel restrictions can be withdrawn step by step and at least in Europe we can now travel quickly again. But the whole thing is really slow and I believe that this year home vacation is really the order of the day. ”

Travel warning enables free cancellation of booked trips

Foreign Minister Maas issued the first international travel warning on March 17 – an unprecedented step. So far, such warnings have only been given for life and limb, especially for war zones such as Afghanistan or Syria. they allow free cancellation of already booked trips. The current travel warning was initially limited to May 3 and has now been extended by five weeks.

The development of the corona pandemic was not so far "that we can recommend carefree travel," said Maas as justification. He mentioned two main points:

• Everywhere there are still exit restrictions, entry restrictions and restrictions on air traffic. "Even if there are easing in some countries, (…) you have to assume that it will take weeks before things normalize both in our country and in other countries."
• The Federal Foreign Office has just brought back 240,000 German vacationers stranded abroad because of Corona. Maas does not want to take the risk that tens of thousands of Germans will be stuck again due to short-term border closings.

The foreign minister wants to gradually make vacation abroad possible again

The SPD politician now wants with his EU colleagues for one pan-European solution in terms of border opening, but is now also open to agreements with individual countries. "It cannot be ruled out either, due to the different pandemic control processes in the individual countries, that differentiations will also occur," he said.

After a long hesitation, he responds to a proposal that the Austrian government made in mid-April. In addition to Italy, Spain, Turkey and Greece, the Alpine country is one of the five most popular holiday destinations for Germans abroad. Conversely, holidaymakers from Germany are a main source of income for the Austrian tourism industry.

Travel industry is preparing for vacation in Corona times

Holidays between Rügen and Zugspitze instead of Mallorca or Crete: It is not yet clear whether and when millions of holiday-hungry people can travel again in Corona times. A gradual opening for Germany is currently emerging. Some prime ministers have presented a three-stage plan for the gradual start-up of tourism, gastronomy and the hotel industry in Germany. The industry is already preparing.

The German Tourism Association anticipates a gradual easing, from which holiday homes and other self-catering accommodation should initially benefit. Holidays on the farm should also count. "In general, rural areas will play a special role this summer, because tourism has to be distributed a little better," said Norbert Kunz, managing director of the German Tourism Association.

Landlords of holiday homes or operators of campsites are in the starting blocks. "Many campsite operators are already on the pitch and preparing," said Christian Günther, managing director of the Federal Association of the Camping Industry in Germany. The tour operator reported similarly. "We can get hotels and holiday clubs ready to go relatively quickly in a few days," said a Tui spokesman. They are currently working on uniform standards for hotels and clubs. From the point of view of the organizer FTI, it could be an option to fill hotels only about 50 percent in the start-up phase.

With material from dpa and AFP.