News & Stories

Berlin. Germany's hotel industry can now open again, also for tourists. The same applies to restaurants, while bars are still closed in about half of the federal states, wellness remains critical. Anyone travelling through the country should therefore, if possible, check the homepages of the respective federal states or contact their hotel for information on what is permitted and how.

Vienna. In the interest of domestic tourism, Austria takes the risk: Yesterday, Thursday, 4 June, border controls and health restrictions were ended for seven neighbouring countries. The removal of restriction for Italy remains an unresolved issue though. Will the move mean a second wave? The big experiment begins.

Madrid. Spain is making progress in its coronavirus de-escalation. All provinces of the country are now allocated to phase 1 or 2 according to the government's official plan. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, already said two weeks ago that "there will be a tourist season this year." International tourists are welcome from 1 July.

Madrid. Three percent of all global destinations have now taken steps to ease travel restrictions. But 75% continue to have their borders completely closed for international tourism, the World Tourism Organization reported in its recent report.

Munich. Business travel is dead, long live the new business travel. But how soon will the change be and how different? Three business travel experts look ahead to the next few weeks. The future of this segment, especially in hotels, will depend on the confidence that guests have that hotels are safe thanks to their new hygiene standards. This is because, quite apart from international travel warnings, people everywhere are still using an avoidance strategy, that is: no travel, no risk. The German Travel Management Association believes renegotiating contracts with hotels to be unethical - in contrast to the OTAs.

Berlin. The political tug-of-war over the lifting of the travel warning on the part of Germany does not abate. The Chancellor does not intend to express a final statement on the matter until 3 June. This means that it is still open whether there will be summer business in Europe this year. Other countries - such as Croatia - are preparing carefully. An overview.

Madrid. Spain's Ministry of Industry and Tourism has published a guide with recommendations to reduce Covid-19 infections in hotels. The month of March saw a strong decline in occupancy. Still, experts predict occupancy of up to 17% in August.

Berlin. In Germany's hospitality industry, preparations for the summer season are in full swing. In the meantime, the exact date on which the hotel and catering industry will be allowed to start again has been fixed, even for the last federal state. But the date is only one thing, much more confusing are the different conditions, from square meter regulations to opening hours.

Vienna. With a lead time of about two weeks, the catering trade in Austria is allowed to reopen on 15 May under special conditions. This means that the landlords no longer know whether it is still worthwhile. The government aid package is intended to prevent bankruptcies, and the Mayor of Vienna distributes gastronomy vouchers to the citizens.

Berlin. Initially, it was to be announced on May 6 in a united agreement at which date the restaurants and hotels in Germany, which had been closed due to Corona, would be allowed to start again. But then, one federal state after the other rushed forward. Basically, the industry must comply with strict distance and hygiene regulations and has the green light for a reopening during May.