Europe Plans to Ease Travel Rules: Anyone With Two Vaccine Doses Could Visit

Europe Plans to Ease Travel Rules: Anyone With Two Vaccine Doses Could Visit

May 3, 2021 Jim Byers

The European Commission says it’s planning to ease its travel restrictions, which is good news for Canadians who want to visit and for airlines and tour operators who regularly send Canadians overseas.

The commission’s executive body today said it’s recommending that entry to the EU for non-essential reasons be allowed “not only for all persons coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation but also all people who have received the last recommended dose of an EU-authorized vaccine. This could be extended to vaccines having completed the WHO emergency use listing process,” the executive group said in a statement.

According to the EU website, the four vaccines approved by the European Commission are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. The site says EU member states should allow travel of those who have received their second inoculation at least 14 days before arrival.

The BBC reports that the EU currently only allows non-essential travel from seven countries.

“Time to revive EU’s tourism industry & for cross-border friendships to rekindle – safely,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on Twitter. “We propose to welcome again vaccinated visitors & those from countries with a good health situation.”

The recommendation contains a so-called “emergency brake” provision that would allow member states to ban all travel from countries where any COVID-19 variants of concern emerge.

The proposal requires approval from the member states, and the Commission hopes it will be adopted by the end of the month, so that it can go into effect by June 1, Forbes said.

Several European countries are already making moves to welcome visitors in the hopes of reviving their tourism economies. Greece has begun allowing tourists from the United States and a select number of other countries who are vaccinated or have proof of negative COVID-19 tests, and will open the doors wider on May 15. Spain has said it hopes to welcome at least some world travellers in June.

Canadians are still being asked to stay home, but that could change in the next couple months as vaccines roll out and COVID-19 numbers around the country (with some exceptions) continue to slowly drop.

Opening Europe for Canadian visitors would obviously be good for local economies. It also would be a big boost for Canadian airlines that fly to Europe, mostly Air Canada and Transat, as well as WestJet, and a boon for companies that offer tours of Europe and cruise holidays.

“It is comforting to see the various European countries working together to launch a common EU plan for international travellers,” said Frederic Dimanche, Director, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University in Toronto. “This remains a move with potential risks, but the risk is moderated by the request that travellers be vaccinated.

“The travel sector must be relieved… not only in Europe, but also in source markets where this decision gives tour operators and airlines reasons to be optimistic about the summer,” Dimanche said. “In addition, the EU plan is likely to lead to reciprocal agreements about international travel,” which would be big news for Canadian operators who need foreign visitors.