Vacation despite pandemic fear: where can I still go?

If those who sell travel no longer want to travel – why should vacationers do it? This question arises after the world's largest travel trade fair ITB in Berlin has been canceled due to the novel corona virus. Of course, people from all over the world should come together in a small space in the exhibition halls – an increased risk of virus spreading. But doesn't that also apply to every major airport?

Sars-CoV-2 hits the tourism industry hard and unsettles many travelers who ask themselves: Where can I go on vacation this year if the new corona virus spreads everywhere, for example in Italy and now also in Germany?

Many holidaymakers wait and see

"There will be a wait-and-see attitude in the next few weeks, and I think that's very reasonable," says tourism researcher Prof. Martin Lohmann. "In all likelihood, we will have a normal summer in which you can travel beautifully." "Many have already booked their vacation and will not undo it for the time being," says the expert from the NIT Institute for Tourism and Spa Research in Northern Europe in Kiel.

But what if I haven't booked a vacation yet? In principle, travelers have three options. First, you stay at home. Second, you plan your vacation in a country from which no infections have been reported – and hope that it stays that way. Thirdly, you are traveling to a region or country with Corona people and there you minimize the personal risk of infection.

Variant 1: vacation on balconies?

"From a purely medical point of view, there is absolutely no reason not to travel," says Prof. Tomas Jelinek from the Center for Travel Medicine (CRM) in Berlin. The number of cases is still very low in relation to the total population. The risk of being infected with the corona virus is also low in northern Italy.

Prof. Lohmann sees it similarly: "It doesn't really make much difference whether I drive a city bus in Hamburg or Turin." So it doesn't make sense to avoid a country or region because there are Covid 19 sufferers there? "You would have to stay at home, but there can be cases as well."

Variant 2: vacation in a country without corona virus?

The new corona virus has been found in more than 60 countries. In addition to China, the country of origin, South Korea is currently worst affected worldwide. There are also many cases in Iran. Italy is currently the most affected country in Europe.

This in turn means that there are still many countries without reported cases – at least still. "We just don't know where cases will be reported in two weeks. That cannot be predicted," said Jelinek. And that is exactly what may unsettle many vacationers.

The big tour operators have reacted to this – and are accommodating. Anyone who rebooks a vacation in the coming weeks can change or cancel free of charge up to 14 days before departure. This regulation applies, for example, to Tui, DER Touristik and Alltours. If Corona appears in a country for the first time in the coming weeks, the affected holidaymakers can therefore withdraw for a short time.

"The organizers are now offering this to give customers more security and to take away the fear," explains Torsten Schäfer from the German Travel Association (DRV). The industry representative sees an advantage of the package tour here: "These customers are much better secured and have a contact person at all times."

Those who do not book through a tour operator can usually book accommodations with a short-term cancellation option on hotel portals on the Internet. So the stay can be canceled at short notice at no cost. The room then usually costs a little more, but when in doubt, holidaymakers don't stay on their money.

Variant 3: No matter where – the main thing is to be careful?

There are Very few countries currently to be avoided – especially China. The Federal Foreign Office (AA) still advises against unnecessary trips to the country with the exception of Hong Kong and Macau. There are even warnings about trips to Hubei Province.

In Italy, the AA only strongly advises against unnecessary trips to the province of Lodi in Lombardy and to Vò Euganeo in the province of Padua in Veneto. There are currently no talk of restrictions, for example in Rome, Tuscany or Sardinia.

"I would not call not to go to Venice now," says travel doctor Jelinek. "But if you want to be very careful, you might go somewhere in northern Italy." The decision of where to go is a weighing of probabilities: "If you are in places where people from many countries come together, the risk increases."

Health risks and practical problems

According to the expert, vacationers should distinguish between two risks. On the one hand, there is the risk of catching the corona virus – this is usually low. "You have to get the virus first," says Jelinek. And then it would only be dangerous if the disease took a severe course.

To classify: The Sars-CoV-2 virus can cause the disease Covid-19. Most infected people have mild cold symptoms with chills and sore throats, or no symptoms at all. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), however, about 15 out of 100 infected people become seriously ill. You get breathing problems or pneumonia. Older people or those with previous illnesses are particularly affected. There are occasional deaths.

The second risk for travelers is more practical: there may be restrictions on the travel destination. If, like in Paris, the Louvre is closed, it may still be painful. But in the worst case, there is a risk of quarantine like in a hotel in Tenerife, where German vacationers have also been arrested. "If you have an authority that blocks everything in the short term, there is nothing you can do," says Jelinek.

A residual risk remains almost everywhere

Would you rather go to a holiday home in nowhere than to a mass hotel with 500 rooms and an international crowd? This does not protect safely, because holidaymakers still have to deal with the journey – and this often leads to train stations and airports.

Travel medicine specialist Jelinek says: "We have to learn to accept that this virus exists, that it spreads and that people die from it." This also applies to people with previous illnesses. You should have all common vaccinations against flu, for example. But: "If you are old and sick, you always have a higher risk when traveling, that applies regardless of Corona and is part of existence," says Jelinek.

By Philipp Laage, dpa