It is the basic concern of the travel industry and its customers, the holidaymakers, this summer: the tourism traffic, which has just increased, could be dampened if the infection rate flares up again.

Like now in Portugal.

The country seals off the state capital Lisbon for around two and a half days in order to slow down the spread of the corona virus.

Timo Kotowski

Editor in business.

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    There was an increase in infections with the delta variant of the coronavirus, which was first discovered in India.

    From Friday 4 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m., the 2.8 million citizens are only allowed to leave the greater Lisbon area for a valid reason.

    Foreigners are only allowed to enter the country temporarily in exceptional cases.

    For the travel companies and many vacationers, the consequences will initially remain limited.

    In summer, beach vacations are more popular than city trips.

    Greek and Spanish islands are currently at the top of the booking rankings - and the virus variant does not yet have a major share there.

    But memories of the past year are awakened in tourism: At that time, in some places - including Mallorca - the already weak season ended abruptly in mid-August because the phase of low incidences was over for the time being.

    Travel companies remain confident

    The travel company Tui demonstrates confidence.

    "I have no concerns that the Delta variant can become a threat," said Tui Germany boss Marek Andryszak, referring to his own business development.

    More and more people are vaccinated.

    In view of the advancing vaccinations, he even expects to be able to reduce the gap to the pre-crisis level of 2019 by 5 to 8 percentage points every week.

    By the official end of the tourist summer business phase at the end of October, he wants to reach 75 percent of the previous booking level - this time with fewer trips in July and more business in September and October.

    The confidence of Tui from Hanover came before the reports from Lisbon.

    Beach holidaymakers tend to head for the extreme south of the country when they choose Portugal.

    The capital meanwhile reported 928 new infections on Thursday, the highest value since mid-February.

    75 percent of all new infections in the country occurred in the capital region, although only 27 percent of the inhabitants of Portugal live there.

    "It is not easy to take such measures, but we saw them as essential so that the situation that currently prevails in Lisbon does not spread to the whole country," said Presidential Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva, explaining the new cuts.

    Skeptical words from the RKI

    In Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) spoke on Friday at the national aviation summit, which should actually be more about the restart after the crisis.

    "The prospects are brightening, as the vaccination progresses, travel is revived," she said - but added: "But the virus has not disappeared." You can watch the spread of virus variants very closely.

    Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) said on the sidelines of the summit: "I don't want to rush to say that we have to restrict again now." That would be the wrong message.

    But traveling in 2021 required “caution and caution”.

    Just a week ago, he and the airline and travel industry presented a summer vacation concept.

    Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, struck a more skeptical tone.

    "It's not a question of whether Delta will be the leading variant, but when," he said. In Germany, the variant currently has a share of 6 percent. In the previous week, the value fluctuated between 2.5 and 3.1 percent.

    British are at home

    In Great Britain, vacationers are already experiencing restrictions in connection with the Delta variant.

    While the British had hoped in the spring to have an advantage over the Germans in the so-called towel war over reserved sun loungers at hotel pools, the Germans now have travel freedom back, while many British have to stay at home for the time being, according to the government's will.

    In Great Britain there is a traffic light system for travel destinations, popular holiday destinations such as Spain, Italy and Greece are classified in yellow, which is associated with extensive testing and quarantine regulations on return.

    The budget airline Ryanair and Manchester Airport have already filed lawsuits against the state restrictions.

    Chancellor Helge Braun (CDU) did not advise German football fans to go on holiday abroad because of the Delta variant, but recommended football fans not to travel to London for the semi-finals and finals of the European Football Championship.

    “My major concern is the spreading Delta variant in the UK - and London is a venue.

    You shouldn't travel to virus variant areas, "he tells the editorial network Germany.