Europe is Open to Tourists, So Who is Going?

May 9—Europe is getting ready to welcome vaccinated tourists, with Greece leading the way on May 14. But keep this in mind: You may have to take a COVID-19 test to come home.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website says you must have proof of a negative result taken at least 72 hours before reentering the United States.

That's OK with Marylou Gross of Norristown, Pa.

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"I am planning on going to Italy in September, finally," said Ms. Gross. She and her husband, Ed, have had to cancel the trip twice before because of the pandemic. "Third time is the charm!" she said.

"We've all been vaccinated, and that definitely helped move us forward since I'm sure Italy would not let us travel there if we were not," Ms. Gross said. "I personally don't have any apprehension about going. We will be careful but feel confident that the vaccine will protect us."

Travel agents and the travel industry hope that summer and fall will be comeback seasons after a long year of cancellations and frustrations.

Before COVID-19 had the world in its grip, Pittsburgh International Airport saw 243,706 passengers traveling to and from international destinations. In 2020, that number dropped to 39,428 travelers passing through the airport.

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" May 2021 year-over-year compared to May 2020, scheduled seats are projected to increase 115% and scheduled flights are scheduled to increase 82%," said Bob Kerlik, an airport spokesman.

The pandemic sidelined the few direct flights from Pittsburgh International. "Our nonstop flights to Europe have been suspended since the pandemic began," said Mr. Kerlik. "Airlines and airports have been faced with travel restrictions globally amid the ongoing pandemic and other related effects."

International travelers departing from Pittsburgh will have to deal with connecting flights.

Those in the travel industry are noticing the shift toward optimism, however.

"The vaccine is certainly giving travelers a new lease on life and confidence to travel," said Christina O'Toole, an adviser for Avenue Two Travel, a luxury travel company headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pa., with an office in Sewickley.

What the company is dealing with now is a lot of postponed trips that are being rebooked.

"For Italy, in particular, we have a number of postponed bookings from last year that have been moved and confirmed for September this year," said Josh Bush, owner of Avenue Two Travel.

Jim Berkeley, founder and CEO of bespoke travel company Destinations & Adventures, based in Los Angeles, also sees things improving.

"I see the return of travel to post-COVID-19 Europe much like skipping a stone across your favorite pond," said Mr. Berkeley.

"First of all, Greece is already open, followed quickly by Portugal and the Azores, and then Croatia will be next with France feeling visitor-friendly on June 9."

Mr. Berkeley sees the soon to be completed Air Bridge between the U.S. and United Kingdom as another sign of a coming travel boom. The Air Bridge is a way to allow countries with large portions of the population vaccinated to travel without requiring people to quarantine. The countries agree on a set of conditions such as contact tracing, testing and verification of vaccination.

The numbers show just how much the pandemic has affected European travel. According to OAG or the Official Airlines Guide, which provides statistics and information for airlines, airports and aviation specialists, bookings for this year from the U.S. to the top 10 European destinations, which include Italy, United Kingdom, France and Greece, are still below those of last year.

In April 2020, there were 240,012 bookings compared to 21,732 this April for those flying to the United Kingdom. In 2019 — pre-pandemic — there were 439,989 booking to the U.K. from the U.S., said John Grant, an OAG senior analyst who compared data for the third quarter covering July through September.

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For Italy, 2019 saw 295,535 bookings, 2020 still had 137,254 scheduled and this April it was a mere 8,730.

"This year's numbers are significantly down and that is because airlines, at this point last year, were still hoping to operate summer schedules and therefore had not started canceling travelers' bookings," explained Mr. Grant.

The numbers don't reflect cancellations that came last May and continued to snowball throughout the summer.

"This year, of course, few bookings have been made because of all the underlying issues, so please keep that in mind when you compare the numbers. The dynamics of the market are so very different," said Mr. Grant.

There is a growing confidence among travelers and travel companies, particularly in the luxury travel sector, that things will return to normal.

At Destinations & Adventures, which saw a good amount of travel to Egypt this past Christmas, there is the feeling that pent-up travel plans will keep the momentum building.

"There is lots of demand," said Barbara Tucker, director of distinctive journeys at the travel agency. "Guarded optimism and flexibility are the mantra."

Mr. Bush of Avenue Two said the recent announcements coming out of Europe with green passes and vaccinated Americans being welcomed back have spurred interest and bookings in the last week.

The countries eager to welcome tourists back are seeing a healthy response.

" Turkey, Greece and Iceland have all had a boom in bookings and interest, which poses an interesting problem for Europe. New bookings are subject to the numerous bookings that have been moved from last year. And that means there will be limited availability for people just deciding now they want to go," said Mr. Bush.

And things can change quickly. Travel companies are keeping a close eye on the fluid COVID-19 situation.

"Yes, they are going to open as soon as they can, but it is with guarded optimism," advised Mrs. Tucker, who will be traveling to Turkey in June. "Being fully vaccinated, I've decided to take advantage of the smaller crowds to visit Istanbul."

She also expects a jump in domestic travel this summer. "The national parks, Nantucket and the Hamptons are in demand and expensive," she said.

Both Mrs. Tucker and Ms. O'Toole currently see 2022 as the year travel finally returns to normal. Ms. O'Toole hopes European travel this summer and fall will help salvage 2021 for the industry.

"I am planning to travel abroad this summer, so I can personally experience and advise my clients that life is getting back to normal," she said.

Patricia Sheridan: [email protected].

First Published May 9, 2021, 6:00am

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