The European Union says its vaunted tourist industry is facing “staggering” figures of decline because of the coronavirus crisis and the bloc’s internal market commissioner wants the sector to be first in line when it comes to recovery funds.
Thierry Breton mentions figures that the tourism economy could slump up to 70% and will be among the last to recover as the 27-nation bloc is facing perhaps the toughest challenge since its inception.
Across Europe, desolation illustrates the tourism crisis, from empty squares like the Brussels Grand Place to deserted monuments like Rome’s Colosseum while idle gondolas await non-existent tourists in Venice. Arrival areas in airports stand empty and beaches, basking in the sunshine, are deserted.
The unprecedented scenes since World War II are hitting anything from multinational airlines to family-owned hotels.
In this Monday, April 6, 2020 file photo, moored gondolas are reflected on the water of the Gran Canal, in Venice, Italy (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
“Tourism was the first sector to be hit by the coronavirus and I am sure that it will be the slowest to recover and come out of this phase,” Breton tells a European Parliament committee via videolink on Tuesday.
— AP
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