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German tourism, essential for the economy of southern Europe, is to be asked. At the moment, the minister of the branch, Heiko Maas, has organized for this Monday a videoconference in which, among other countries such as Italy, Greece or Portugal, Spain is convened, conditioned by the vacation decisions of German lands, especially for the Balearic and Canary Islands.

Thousands of lobbyists also move within the German borders themselves, in the distribution of State aid to cushion the debacle. In the community capital there are 30,000 registered, in Germany an estimated 6,000 operate. Unlike the automobile, energy or pharmaceutical companies, the tourism industry does not have large pressure groups, despite representing 10% of GDP in the European Union and 7.6% in Germany. Tourism is a heterogeneous, atomized sector. However, the Lufthansa group and TUI, the largest European tour operator, have started to make a move.

Germany emits around 55 million tourists a year, of which 11 million or approximately 12.1% choose Spain as a destination and, in this order, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and the Peninsula. It is followed by Italy (4.9%), Turkey (4%) and Greece (3.6%) as a holiday destination, countries for which tourism represents between 14.6% and 12.1% of GDP. Without Germans, there is no season.

And the Germans, who usually book their holidays up to half a year in advance, have made up their minds that this summer they will stay at home . According to a survey by the YouGob institute, 42% have abandoned the idea of ​​a vacation, 13% will do it in Germany and only 16% will travel abroad if they leave. In Spain, for the moment, it weighs a quarantine of 14 days.

The EU has proposed in its roadmap the gradual reopening of borders in the Schengen area from June 15 and suggested the creation of tourist corridors between countries with the same epidemiological situation. 48% of Germans are against it and there is even a rumor that the relaxation proposed by Brussels is a maneuver by the European Commissioner for the Economy, Paolo Gentilione, in favor of his country, Italy.

Trips won't be back anytime soon

" It is more than unlikely that tourist trips to Spain, Greece or Turkey will resume quickly, " says the German Government Commissioner for Tourism, Thomas Bareiss. His declarations are ill omen and not only for the receiving countries, but for the German tour operators that dominate the European market. TUI will have to cut up to 8,000 jobs, and has been forced to request a bridge loan of 1,800 million euros. "We are preparing intensively for when our operations can resume," says TUI President Fritz Joussen.

The Lufthansa group is in negotiations with the government to close a bailout, in parallel with similar aid with Austria, Belgium and Switzerland for its subsidiaries Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airline and Swiss. And without waiting for the German government to withdraw its recommendation not to fly abroad or for destination countries to lift their restrictions, it has announced a recovery in passenger operations starting in June, with a total of 106 destinations, most with a clear holiday focus, including Mallorca or Crete. Reservations are open on conditional. The flight is not guaranteed , but it is a form of pressure on the Government in which you only risk the exchange of the ticket.

Before the recommendations of the European Commission, Austria, Greece and the eastern bishops were the first to move, but Germany is in no hurry. It has the capacity to rescue its flagship airline, and tourism is not a key pillar of its economy . The three million jobs generated by this activity will be eligible for aid. "A race in Europe to see who allows tourist trips first leads to risks that we cannot take," Maas warned, since "the repercussions that an infectious outbreak has on a tourist destination in the countries of origin of the travelers is something that is already we live ». Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Maas has repatriated the nearly 250,000 Germans who were stranded worldwide, a complex operation that is also financed with public funds.

The minister advocates national tourism or destinations that ensure an immediate return in case of need and with its own means, that is, by land. It is for this reason that from June 15 it will timidly relax its borders with neighboring countries and in conditions of reciprocity. Not a word about lifting the quarantine.

In accordance with the criteria of The Trust Project

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