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Berlin (dpa) - Germany's tour operators are hoping for a wave of travel for the summer season despite the continued high Corona numbers.

In addition to the announcement of rapid tests that anyone can carry out themselves, they are primarily considering the European Union to introduce a type of corona vaccination pass for free travel.

Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) calls for speed on the issue.

"We should already work at full speed on the European vaccination certificate - preferably digitally on the smartphone," Maas told the "Bild am Sonntag".

"Too often we have lost important time in this pandemic because we did not prepare solutions early on for foreseeable problems."

The vaccination certificate must be ready for use in good time, "if possible even in summer".

The industry is confident.

"Travel in Europe will be possible in the summer of 2021 - safely and responsibly", the head of the Tui tourism group, Fritz Joussen, has already decided.

“A European vaccination certificate can help restore freedom of travel.

There is no doubt about that. "

Tui is already in close coordination with Spain, Greece and Cyprus for the summer season.

Other Mediterranean countries would soon follow.

According to Joussen, interest in holidays is already reflected more strongly in “bookings and sales”.

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EU Council President Charles Michel recently said after a summit meeting that the 27 countries are approaching their ideas on vaccination records.

Each country can then decide for itself which rights are attached to the document.

However, the technical development of the EU vaccination pass should take around three months.

And so far mainly elderly people and people in need of care who will not necessarily fly to Mallorca or Malta in the summer have been vaccinated.

The managing director of DER Touristik Deutschland, Mark Tantz, described the latest EU summit as a milestone.

"The digital vaccination certificate will be a significant relief for travel and especially on long-haul routes," he said.

In addition, a well-engineered test strategy will “lead us to normality up to herd immunity”.

A strong summer season is sorely needed for the industry.

According to the German Travel Association (DRV), German tour operators and agencies recorded an 80 percent decline in sales last year, and in January even more than 90 percent.

DRV President Norbert Fiebig therefore appealed: "The people who finally want to get out again need a perspective, but also the companies that offer and arrange trips, as well as the almost three million employees in tourism."

In addition, the holiday countries are dependent on tourists.

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Lufthansa assumes that travel to areas with manageable numbers of infections will be possible again with a comprehensive test strategy.

Internationally recognized digital vaccination and test certificates are of great importance for restarting air traffic, said a spokeswoman.

But if you book flights during pandemic times, you have to expect cancellations.

This has recently made itself felt in the courts.

"The assumption that the restricted air traffic leads to a long-term break in proceedings at the local courts has not been confirmed," said the federal manager of the German Association of Judges, Sven Rebehn, the editorial network Germany (Sunday, online).

Accordingly, in the lockdown in spring 2020, the numbers initially fell sharply, but rose significantly in the second half of the year.

Since the summer there has been an increasing focus on pandemic-related disputes about reimbursement of costs after canceled flights.

And there are also organizers who are not quite as optimistic.

"In our opinion, the discussion about the vaccination record is set too early," said manager Ralph Schiller from the travel company FTI.

"The proportion of vaccinated people in the population is still far too low for a vaccination certificate to mean a real change for the travel industry and holidaymakers at this point in time."

In the next few months, the number of guests like before Corona is by no means expected if the possibility of traveling is linked to the vaccination certificate.

A technical implementation of the pass by autumn would be "perfectly sufficient" for him.

Broad test options in the short term are more important.

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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210228-99-627232 / 2

TUI message

DRV to restart

Lufthansa to restart