Music blared from a beachfront cafe along the normally bustling southwestern coast of Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. But several tables sat empty, a month after a Covid-19 lockdown had ended, and the doors to many resorts remained shut.
Though tourism is returning to southern Europe — stretching from Portugal to Greece — its restart has been sluggish amid new outbreaks in some countries. Bookings are down 80 percent in Italy despite government incentives.
Ferries to the Greek islands are carrying well under half the load they once did.While Europeans are starting to travel more within their own countries, far fewer are venturing beyond their borders, particularly the holiday makers from Britain, Germany and other northern countries who typically journey south each year, spending billions of euros.And visitors from outside the continent are few and far between: Just 13 countries are on the list of those considered safe by the European Union, a list that so far excludes the United States.
Read More: Southern Europe Opens Its Doors to Tourists. Not Many Are Coming. – The New York Times
