From Italy to Germany, countries around the world are slowly relaxing their lockdowns, easing into a new normal that’s not quite what it was pre-pandemic, but as close to it as possible.
Last week, the European Commission announced a plan to save summer tourism in order to help the struggling travel industry. The plan includes opening borders back up and putting health measures and testing in place.
But it’s not just the EU eyeing summer travel.
Despite many countries still discouraging nonessential travel — and while questions of COVID-19 infection rates and the possibility of second, and even third waves remain — a lot of tourism-reliant economies around the world are planning to open their doors to travelers as soon as June.
Keep scrolling to see which tourist hotspots hope to welcome visitors this summer.
1. Cancun, Tulum, and Riviera Maya hope to be back in business, tourism-wise, by the beginning of June
Some of Mexico’s most well-known tourist hotspots, Cancun, Tulum, and Riviera Maya, aim to welcome international travelers by June 8-10, according to Mexico News Daily.
The Quintana Roo tourism board (the state in which the destinations are located) told Riviera Maya News that this reopening will coincide with the resuming of flights from the US, Canada, and Europe to the area and that it expects travel to initially center around weddings and conventions. It says that new hygiene protocols will be put in place.
Cancun and other destinations in Quintana Roo are also offering free overnight stays and other steep discounts to incentivize tourists to visit this year.
According to Travel + Leisure, Los Cabos similarly announced a phased reopening plan, which includes putting in place a “Clean Point” quality certification for cleaning measures that hotels, restaurants, and tour providers must obtain. Phase 1, starting June 1, will allow for limited travel while these new health and safety protocols are enforced, while phase 2, which is the opening of the airport’s international terminal, is targeted for July.
2. “Tourists are welcome in Portugal,” according to Portugal’s foreign minister.
3. The Florida Keys are expected to welcome back visitors by June 1, though they will initially cut their occupancy in half.
4. Cyprus plans to open its borders on June 9 but only to visitors from “safe” countries.
5. Iceland aims to be open to international travelers by June 15 and plans to test all arrivals for COVID-19 at the airport.
6. Greece, which emerged from the pandemic relatively unscathed, hopes to welcome visitors by mid-June.
7. Italy announced that international travel will be allowed starting June 3.
8. The U.S. Virgin Islands have been working on a plan to welcome back tourists by June 1.
9. Saint Lucia is expected to reopen to tourists on June 4.
10. Antigua and Barbuda will allow international flights to resume on June 4.
11. According to its transportation minister, Spain aims to welcome back tourists in late June.
12. Aruba’s government announced tentative plans to reopen its borders sometime between June 15 and July 1.
Source: https://www.insider.com/countries-reopen-to-tourists-visitors-june-2020-5