It does not seem that the Dutch can go on holiday in France next summer. This morning, State Secretary Lemoyne of Tourism hinted that it could be a summer vacation without foreign tourists.
President Macron’s government especially wants to get domestic tourism going again. “The tourism sector can now get going again thanks to the engine of domestic tourism,” said Lemoyne on news channel LCI. “Normally about 17 million foreign tourists come to France in the summer. It is almost certain that we will have to do without them this year.”
Holiday destination number 1
Lemoyne gave no details. He did not say whether France will refuse foreign tourists or whether closed borders in Europe will make it impossible for tourists to come to France.
Yesterday Prime Minister Philippe said that French tourists can go on holiday in their own country this year. He did not say whether travel abroad is prohibited. The French government will only take official decisions about the summer holidays in two weeks. These will partly depend on the development of the corona virus and international agreements on opening up borders.
A common approach is advocated within the EU. It is difficult to get there, but countries can also make mutual agreements.
Neighboring countries are taking measures
Spain recently announced that it will quarantine foreigners when they cross the border. France announced yesterday as a countermeasure that it would also put Spaniards in quarantine.
The British government also wants to isolate foreign travelers. But London and Paris agreed again that this should not apply to their mutual subjects. The French government will only quarantine foreigners from outside the European Union and the Schengen area.
The French are allowed to take to the streets again
More corona relaxations were announced yesterday in France. As of this week, people across the country are increasingly allowed to take to the streets, and shops and schools are open again. As the number of infections increases, those rules can be tightened again.
Furthermore, cafes and restaurants will reopen from June 2, but only in so-called ‘green zones’. Those are the areas where the coronavirus becomes less active. Paris is still in a ‘red zone’, due to the high number of infections and the pressure on hospitals.
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