After months of lockdown, the desire to finally be able to travel again is at the top of the list for many. But it is precisely the spread of the new and more contagious mutations that seem to be making travel hopes disappear again. Because in recent weeks, the Federal Foreign Office has classified more and more countries not only as risk areas, but also as high incidence or virus variant areas.
The federal government is currently still advising against travel for tourist purposes, but it is not forbidden. However, traveling abroad has some consequences. Especially when someone travels to a risk area, this means not only an increased risk of infection, but also stricter rules when traveling home to Germany.
Vacation despite a pandemic: Strict rules for those returning to travel
Returnees from risk areas not only have to register at www.einreiseanmeldung.de before entering Germany, they also have to go into a ten-day quarantine – this can only be lifted with a negative PCR test after the fifth day.
However, anyone who comes from a high incidence or virus variant area must present a negative test result (PCR or medical certificate) that is not older than 48 hours when entering Germany. If the test is positive, holidaymakers will not be transported and must follow the local quarantine regulations of the respective holiday country.
There is hardly a travel destination in the world that is not considered a risk area
The sad news is that at the moment there is no EU country that is not completely or regions thereof classified as high-risk, high-incidence or virus variant areas. And it also looks poor when it comes to long-term goals.
The good news: In some countries, despite some restrictions on entry and exit, you can already go on holiday again despite Corona – tourists are then in most cases allowed to enter the country with a negative PCR test and without quarantine. That is why German tour operators are currently traveling to risk areas.
For example, Tui currently offers package tours to Antalya and Dubai. The most important travel destination of the Corona winter are the Canary Islands, explains a spokeswoman when asked by FOCUS Online. Here, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote as well as cruises around the islands are at the top of the popularity list. But the demand for vacation in the Maldives with its extensive resort islands is currently very high.
Does the EU vaccination certificate give us freedom of travel in summer?
But what about our summer vacation? Will the situation return to normal by then? Above all, the EU's considerations to introduce a kind of corona vaccination pass for free travel give the industry hope. This was discussed at the special Corona summit last week.
However, the technical development of this EU vaccination pass should take around three months. However, since in Germany mainly older people and people in need of care have been vaccinated so far, the question still remains of how useful this passport is. However, this does not detract from the optimism of the industry.
"Travel in Europe will be possible in the summer of 2021 – safely and responsibly", the head of the Tui tourism group, Fritz Joussen, has already decided. He is certain that a European vaccination certificate could help restore freedom of travel. Tui is already in close coordination with Spain, Greece and Cyprus for the summer season. Other Mediterranean countries would soon follow.
Other industry representatives also see it similarly: The managing director of DER Touristik Deutschland, Mark Tantz, sees the digital vaccination pass as a significant relief for travel and Lufthansa also assumes that digital vaccination and test certificates are of great importance for restarting air traffic will be.
Critics fear vaccination certificate will not bring anything until autumn at the earliest
The organizer FTI, on the other hand, is more cautious: "From our point of view, the discussion about the vaccination certificate has started too early," says manager Ralph Schiller. The proportion of vaccinated people in the population is still far too low for a vaccination certificate to mean a real change for the travel industry and holidaymakers at this point in time. A technical implementation of the passport in autumn is therefore sufficient. Broad test options in the short term are more important, according to the FTI manager.
The Düsseldorf tour operator Alltours announced two weeks ago that it would only accommodate guests with a corona vaccination in its own Allsun brand holiday hotels from October 31. “We want to offer all our guests the highest possible level of security so that they can enjoy their vacation in a relaxed manner,” said owner Willi Verhuven. With increasing vaccination rates and decreasing incidences in the vacation areas, nothing stands in the way of a vacation. Alltours operates 35 hotels under the Allsun name on Mallorca, the Canary Islands and Greece. Other German organizers have so far rejected such a measure.
Approval of rapid tests could make travel easier
The recent approval of corona rapid tests for personal use could also be a positive sign for the travel industry. "Continuous and broad testing of all kinds" is an important building block for more security both for customers and for the travel industry, said the President of the German Travel Association (DRV), Norbert Fiebig. In connection with progressive vaccinations, the safety can be "further increased".
With a concept that includes consistent test strategies and clear hygiene and protection rules, "safe travel after the second corona wave – as soon as the number of infections allows it – will be possible again," said Fiebig. At the center of the political considerations should be strategies that allow corona-related restrictions on freedom "to be taken back responsibly and international mobility to be gradually enabled again," he demanded.
RKI study – vacation travel is not a pandemic driver
Even if politicians regard vacation travel as a pandemic driver, a new study by the RKI shows the opposite. Accordingly, vacation-related infections actually played a subordinate role last summer. A look at the countries in which most of the returning travelers were infected shows that these were primarily not tourists returning, but rather returning travelers who work in Germany and have visited their families back home: in first place is Kosovo, followed by Croatia, Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania, followed by Bulgaria in eighth place. With the exception of Turkey and Croatia, none of them are classic holiday destinations.
In the case of France and Spain, which are considered to be classic holiday destinations, the RKI also found that there were far fewer infections last summer than the high incidences in the respective countries would suggest. This is due to the fact that tourists have much less contact with the local population and hotel stays are subject to strict hygiene rules.
Bookings for summer holidays have been going on for weeks
Despite the uncertain Corona situation, the organizers are now recording an increasing number of bookings for the summer. The Greek islands, above all Crete, Rhodes and Kos, are particularly in demand for Tui. Mallorca is also one of the top ten summer destinations already booked, as is the Turkish Riviera and the Canary Islands with Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
The demand for long-distance destinations is significantly lower. “In summer 2021, the Mediterranean classics will have the edge when it comes to flight destinations. There will be a strong catch-up effect, especially in the summer months, so that during the holidays in July and August it is very likely that the jets on many routes in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands will quickly be booked up ”, predicts Marek Andryszak, Chairman of TUI Germany management.
Something similar is emerging at DER Touristik with the brands Dertour, ITS, Jahn Reisen and Meiers Weltreisen. As the company confirms to FOCUS Online, Greece, Turkey and Mallorca are ahead of the beach destinations, as is the Canary Islands. At the moment, however, the tour operators are increasingly booking car trips in Germany and Austria.
Organizers offer flexibility in terms of cancellation and rebooking
Especially in these uncertain times due to Corona, organizers attach great importance to granting their customers a lot of flexibility when booking. For example, Tui offers a so-called flex tariff, which makes it possible to cancel or rebook the package tour or the booked accommodation free of charge up to 14 days before departure. Usually providers charge high fees for a cancellation – for example, those who cancels their flight from one month up to 14 days before the start of the trip with Tui normally have to pay the organizer 60 percent of the travel price paid.
Due to the pandemic, DER Touristik also offers flexible cancellation conditions that guarantee free rebooking and cancellation up to 14 days before the travel date: The tariff is based on the amount of the travel price and is, for example, 59 euros for a flight package tour for 3000 euros. The same applies to hotel bookings with personal arrival: Here, too, you can rebook free of charge up to five days before arrival. These optional flex rates cost ten euros per person and vacation week.