Europe’s Second Lockdown Set to Dash Tourism Hopes for Holidays
Photo Credit: Spain's Canary Islands recently established a travel corridor with the UK and Germany. But Europe's November lockdown has now thrown the winter holiday season into doubt. Flickr / Andrew Callow
Skift Take
Europe’s winter season looks bleak as the pandemic shuts down service economies in the region’s major destinations until early December — for now. Yet optimism remains that traveler demand will return as soon as restrictions end, even if that means a canceled Christmas.
From the UK to Belgium, France, Italy, Greece and Ireland, a second Covid wave has sent Europe into a range of lockdowns, curfews and restrictions until the first week of December. These could stretch into the holidays, depending on the pandemic’s progress, as the region is once again becoming the epicenter of the epidemic.
But what will this shutdown do to Europe’s already tepid tourism sector and its upcoming winter holiday season?
“In the UK, most hotels have a high degree of food and beverage,” Magnuson Hotels CEO Thomas Magnuson told Skift from the UK. “And [at] Christmastime there are traditionally a lot of events — family events, corporate events, Christmas type events — that’s going to be a hit for a lot of these properties.”
A Summer Uptick
The return of tourism wasn't as promising this past summer as expected, though a handful of destinations saw a mild increase in visitors. Italy had begun seeing hotel stays increase in June, while Spain saw a sligh
