Thu 16 July 2020:
Stays in tourist accommodation establishments in EU down 44% year-on-year in January-April
ISTANBUL (AA) – The novel coronavirus pandemic hit the tourism industry in the EU deeply by reducing the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments 44% in the January-April period on a yearly basis.
“During the early part of 2020, the tourism industry has suffered as a result of travel restrictions implemented in response to the Covid-19 outbreak,” the 27-member bloc’s statistical authority said on Thursday.
Eurostat noted that March and April were the worst months with declines of 62% and 95% year-on-year, respectively.
“Prior to the pandemic, there had been a small improvement in the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation, with increases of 5% and 6% in January and February, respectively,” it added.
Preparing for a second wave
The EU Commission has admitted that the response to the first wave of coronavirus was not Europe’s finest hour, but it is drawing on the lessons learnt to prepare for a possible second wave.
The Commission has released new guidelines that include more coordinated testing, ensuring medical equipment can move freely across the EU, as well as making sure contact tracing apps work across borders.
He told Euronews that it is the Commission’s duty to make sure all tracing apps being developed should have a “certain number of criteria of interoperability” as well as offering data protection.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which first appeared in China last December, has spread to the all around the world and affected several economic activities due to the measures, such as travel bans and tourism restrictions.
The travel and tourism sectors were among the most affected sectors globally.
