The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is not currently operational and no applications are being accepted. The EU says travellers will be informed of the specific start date several months before the system goes live, meaning there is currently nothing visitors need to do before travelling.

The EU’s official information continues to indicate that ETIAS is expected to start operations in the last quarter of 2026. However, the absence of a specific date, combined with persistent difficulties surrounding the implementation of the bloc’s Entry/Exit System (EES), has raised further questions over whether that timetable can be maintained.

As Travel Tomorrow reported in early July, EU officials had already been discussing the possibility of delaying ETIAS beyond 2026, with the Financial Times reporting that eu-LISA, the EU agency responsible for managing the system, no longer considered the planned timetable achievable.

From €7 to €20

When ETIAS eventually enters into operation, nationals of visa-exempt countries, including the UK, US, Canada and Australia, will have to obtain authorisation before travelling to 30 European countries for short stays.

Applications will be made online through the official ETIAS website or mobile application and will cost €20, following the EU’s decision to increase the previously planned €7 fee. Travellers under 18 or over 70, as well as certain family members of EU citizens, will be exempt from paying the application fee.

Once approved, an ETIAS authorisation will generally remain valid for three years or until the passport used for the application expires, whichever comes first. It will allow multiple visits for stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period, although an ETIAS authorisation will not in itself guarantee entry.

Most applications are expected to be processed within minutes, although cases requiring additional checks can take considerably longer. Applicants will be required to provide passport and personal information as well as details relating to issues such as previous travel to conflict zones or criminal convictions.

Until the system becomes operational, travellers should be particularly cautious about websites claiming that ETIAS applications can already be submitted. The EU explicitly states that it is not currently collecting applications.

ETIAS and EES: What is the difference?

The continuing uncertainty has also highlighted confusion between ETIAS and the EU’s separate Entry/Exit System. Although the two systems form part of Europe’s wider overhaul of external border management, they serve different purposes.

ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation for travellers who currently enjoy visa-free access to participating European countries. They will have to apply online before starting their journey, but ETIAS does not change their visa-free status and is not considered a visa.

@mjelitetravel A cruise ship ran aground on the Rhine last month and we're heading into the worst part of the season. Plus ETIAS delayed to 2027, 1,400 flights delayed in Europe this weekend, and I'm headed to France next week. Comment RHINE if you want to know more. Follow for weekly travel news. #RiverCruise #RhineCruise #EuropeTravelTips #TravelNews ♬ Headline News/Reports 76(1553791) – Takashi

The EES, by contrast, operates at Europe’s external borders and applies to non-EU nationals travelling for short stays, whether they require a visa or benefit from visa-free travel. It digitally records travellers’ entries and exits, replacing manual passport stamping, and collects information including facial images and fingerprints. ETIAS itself does not collect biometric data.

In simple terms, ETIAS determines whether a visa-exempt traveller has obtained the required authorisation before travelling, while EES records when eligible non-EU travellers actually enter and leave participating European countries.

EES problems add to uncertainty

The distinction is particularly important because the troubled implementation of EES has become closely linked to concerns over the readiness of ETIAS.

As Travel Tomorrow reported in July, the EES became fully operational on 10 April 2026 following a phased introduction, but its implementation has been accompanied by significant disruption at some European airports and border crossings.

Airlines and airports have warned of lengthy queues during peak periods, with first-time biometric registrations placing additional pressure on border-control infrastructure. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged in July that there was “still a lot to do” to address the technical difficulties.

The problems have prompted aviation organisations to call for greater flexibility in applying EES procedures during periods of severe congestion, while some countries and airports have sought temporary measures to reduce disruption.

The EES and ETIAS are technically interconnected, with the EU having always planned for EES to become operational before ETIAS. EU guidance describes the two as separate but complementary systems designed to strengthen the management and security of Europe’s external borders.

With ETIAS having already faced repeated postponements, its final implementation will therefore be closely watched by the aviation and tourism industries, particularly after the difficulties experienced with EES.

For travellers, however, the situation remains straightforward for the moment: ETIAS is not yet operational, applications cannot currently be submitted and the EU says it will announce the specific start date several months before the new requirement takes effect.

L’article EU leaves ETIAS launch date uncertain as travellers told not to apply  est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The service runs around the northeastern coast of the Bay of Bothnia, between Finnish Oulu – a major port that is the country’s fourth largest conurbation by population and is sometimes known as the capital of northern Finland – and Haparanda in Sweden, a former fur and timber export hub at the mouth of the Torne River.

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Scheduled twice a day from both departure points, and taking one hour and forty minutes to complete, the full 128-km route costs from as little as €5.40, although pricing and availability will depend on the season and demand. It will be operated on board double decker trains belonging to Finnish state rail company VR. The stock has “Eko” (second class) and “Ekstra” (first class) accommodation, a bistro, playroom for children, and a range of seating options.

Although differences in rail gauges mean the trains will not be able to continue further into Sweden than Haparanda, passengers will be able to transfer there onto other southward services. The advent of the new connection also opens up a 24-hour itinerary between Helsinki and Stockholm, as well as enabling an epic 5,000-km rail adventure from the southern tip of Europe on Portugal’s Algarve to Finland’s northernmost train station of Kolari that is being hailed as the longest train journey in Europe.

@vrmatkalla

Junaliikenne Suomen ja Ruotsin välillä käynnistyi tänään!   Tunnelma ensimmäisten junavuorojen kyydissä oli innostunut, ja juna matkustajineen otettiin lämpimästi vastaan niin väliasemilla kuin Haaparannallakin.   Liikennöimme Oulusta Haaparannalle ja takaisin kahdesti päivässä.

♬ alkuperäinen ääni – VR Matkalla

Despite these possibilities, one of the region’s rail experts, Mark Smith, who writes as The Man in Seat 61, has expressed the “unpopular opinion” that “For Stockholm to Helsinki ‘over the top’ it’s still better to walk/taxi Haparanda to Tornio Itaïnen & catch the 22:17 sleeper to Helsinki.” Smith’s reasoning is that the “17-min connection in Tornio” is “too risky.” Nonetheless, he notes that it is meant to be a “a recognised connection and you will have a through ticket.”

Finland has not operated any trains on foreign soil since the outbreak of Russia’s war with Ukraine in 2022, when it stopped running services to St Petersburg. It’s been even longer since Sweden and Finland had a rail connection, as noted by VR’s Director for New Traffic, Juho Hannukainen, who said: “The last VR train over the boarder operated in 1988 and SJ’s [Swedish state rail firm Statens Järnvägar] in 1992. After a long wait, the return of rail traffic on this route has been met with great enthusiasm.”

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Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications, Lulu Ranne, who travelled on Monday’s debut service, echoed that and said, “Transport connections are also security policy,” hailing the growing cooperation between the neighbouring countries and the way travel links between them would boost resilience.

Meanwhile, Elisa Markula, chief executive of Finland’s state-owned railway operator VR, told AFP the new service is part of a European rail “renaissance” and pointed to increasing passenger numbers.

L’article New international rail service links Finland and Sweden for first time in decades est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

According to The Times, industry sources say European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas has privately indicated that flexibility around the checks could continue if necessary. The reported assurances come amid mounting pressure from European governments, airlines and airports over the impact of the system during the peak summer travel season.

The EES began its phased rollout in October 2025 and became fully operational across 29 European countries in April 2026. It replaces manual passport stamping with the electronic registration of non-EU nationals entering and leaving the Schengen Area, recording information including fingerprints and facial images.

September deadline under pressure

The latest reports follow a joint appeal by nine European countries to extend flexibility on EES border checks.

Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland wrote to European Commissioner for Internal Affairs Magnus Brunner in July, warning that the current partial suspension mechanism should remain available beyond its scheduled expiry on 6 September 2026.

The mechanism allows border authorities, in exceptional circumstances, to temporarily suspend the collection of travellers’ biometric data while continuing to register their entry and exit from the Schengen Area. Governments argue that removing that safeguard could create serious operational problems at busy border crossings.

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The European Commission has so far stressed that existing legislation contains flexibility provisions and that it remains in contact with member states experiencing difficulties, but has not formally confirmed that the current arrangements will be extended.

According to The Times, however, Tzitzikostas has privately reassured industry representatives that the checks could be paused where necessary. He is also reported to have given similar assurances to the UK following a meeting with British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on 14 July.

“We want everyone to have the summer holidays they deserve – and yesterday’s meeting shows everyone is pulling in the same direction,” Alexander said following the meeting. “I was reassured that the EU commissioner for transport understood the concerns of holidaymakers and recognised the need for us to work together.”

Airports and airlines warn of queues

Pressure on Brussels has intensified after passengers faced lengthy queues at some European airports following the introduction of biometric checks.

As Travel Tomorrow previously reported, Airports Council International Europe (ACI EUROPE), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have called for greater flexibility after reporting border delays of up to five hours at some airports.

Ryanair has also warned of “queue chaos”, arguing that some airports do not yet have sufficient staffing, kiosks or infrastructure to handle EES procedures efficiently during periods of high demand. Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport in Spain has been among the airports singled out over concerns about preparedness.

The Spanish airport is preparing a major expansion and redevelopment project that will include infrastructure intended to improve the handling of EES procedures.

EasyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis has similarly described queues linked to the new controls as “completely unacceptable”, while Fraport Greece chief executive Alexander Zinell has warned that temporary suspension measures have been crucial in preventing even greater disruption at the 14 Greek airports operated by the company.

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British travellers among those most affected

The issue is particularly significant for British travellers. Following Brexit, UK citizens are treated as third-country nationals when entering the Schengen Area and are therefore required to use the EES.

Under the system, travellers on short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period have their entry and exit electronically registered. Biometric information is collected when required, replacing the passport stamps previously used to track stays in the Schengen Area.

@bethwill_x 3 hours later and no air con • • • #verona #veronaairport #italy #ees #airportsecurity ♬ som original – Marketing digital

The disruption is particularly significant for British travellers. Following Brexit, UK citizens are treated as third-country nationals when entering the Schengen Area and are therefore subject to EES requirements. Concerns over delays have also increased interest in European destinations outside the EES, including EU countries such as Cyprus and Ireland, which are outside the Schengen Area, as well as destinations such as Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and Türkiye.

The current debate is therefore not about abandoning the EES itself. European governments continue to support the digital border system and its security objectives, but are increasingly calling for authorities to retain the ability to temporarily ease biometric requirements when passenger volumes threaten to overwhelm border infrastructure.

With the partial suspension mechanism currently due to expire on 6 September, Brussels is under growing pressure to clarify whether that flexibility will remain available into the autumn.

L’article EU could extend flexibility on EES border checks amid fears of further travel disruption est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The real measure of success, however, will be whether Google’s compliance measures create a search environment where small hospitality businesses, including hotels, restaurants and cafés, can compete fairly for consumers’ attention. Compliance should not only eliminate Google’s own self-preferencing practices; it must also ensure that the new Search experience provides fair visibility to businesses and does not unintentionally strengthen other powerful online intermediaries.

That distinction matters

Small hospitality operators have become increasingly dependent on digital intermediaries to reach customers. It is no coincidence that two of the most important digital platforms used by the hospitality sector have been designated as gatekeepers under the DMA.

The Commission rightly concluded that Google continued to favour its own specialised services in Search. However, for the hospitality sector, an equally important question remains: will Google’s new compliance solution genuinely improve the visibility of businesses themselves, or will it simply redirect even more traffic towards other large intermediaries?

This is not a theoretical concern

Google’s first attempt to comply with the DMA illustrated precisely this risk. By removing interactive features, including maps and free booking links, and reverting many hospitality searches to a traditional list of blue links, Google significantly reduced the visibility of independent hospitality businesses and their direct offers.

Ironically, the Commission rejected that first compliance attempt because Google had failed to eliminate its own self-preferencing, not because the changes risked weakening the position of direct hospitality offers and strengthening other powerful online intermediaries.

Yet the DMA was designed to make digital markets more contestable, empower businesses that depend on online platforms, and ultimately offer consumers greater choice. Compliance cannot therefore be considered successful if Google’s solution merely shifts market power from Google to other digital intermediaries while independent hospitality businesses lose further opportunities to compete for bookings and build direct relationships with their customers.

We have fined Google €890 million for breaching the Digital Markets Act, by promoting their own services and restricting customer access to alternatives on Google Search and Google Play.https://t.co/zFChIQxKua pic.twitter.com/QTqdpS6dyY

— European Commission (@EU_Commission) July 23, 2026

Google is now testing a revised compliance solution, which the Commission will continue to assess. While it remains too early to judge its full impact, there are legitimate reasons to scrutinise whether the new design could once again undermine the visibility of small hospitality operators and give online intermediaries an unintended competitive advantage.

The Commission’s assessment should therefore look beyond the formal treatment of Google’s own services and consider the competitive impact of the proposed solution. Our joint statements with the airline and rail sectors reflect this shared expectation: DMA compliance should strengthen competition across the travel ecosystem, not simply redistribute market power among large digital intermediaries.

If this broader competitive impact were overlooked, whether because of a gap in the DMA’s design or an overly narrow interpretation of its provisions, it would set a dangerous precedent. It would suggest that a compliance solution can satisfy the letter of the law while undermining its fundamental objective: creating fairer and more contestable markets for the businesses that rely on gatekeepers.

Today, the @EU_Commission provides guidance to Google under the Digital Markets Act to:

→ enable interoperability with Android for AI services
→ provide search engines & AI chatbots with search function with access to Google's anonymised search datahttps://t.co/W839tKLusx pic.twitter.com/k3MhoH8V2q

— Digital EU (@DigitalEU) July 16, 2026

This debate extends far beyond Google Search, at a time when European hospitality businesses face additional immediate challenges that risk further undermining competitiveness and the ability to operate independently.

First, the rise of conversational AI is reshaping travel discovery, making AI assistants a gateway to hospitality businesses. The Google case could set important rules for future AI-driven travel tools, as poor representation in Search today may lead to even lower visibility in AI-generated recommendations tomorrow.

Second, the EU is considering repealing the Platform-to-Business (P2B) Regulation, which introduced fairness and transparency obligations for online platforms and paved the way for the DMA. Removing these protections could leave independent hospitality businesses with fewer means to challenge unfair practices beyond the relatively narrow scope of the DMA.

Ensuring that Google’s new Search experience treats hotels, restaurants, and cafés fairly is therefore about far more than one compliance case. It will determine whether the DMA fulfils its broader promise of creating digital markets where businesses compete on the quality of their offer, rather than on the market power of the platforms standing between them and their customers.

The Commission has taken an important first step. The next one is even more important. The success of the DMA will not ultimately be judged by the size of the fine imposed on Google, but by whether Europe’s hospitality businesses emerge with greater visibility, greater choice and a genuine opportunity to compete on equal terms in the digital marketplace.

L’article Why Google’s DMA compliance must not come at the expense of Europe’s small hospitality operators est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Previous WWA studies show that the intense heatwaves experienced across the region in recent years would not have been possible without the greenhouse effect of carbon pollution.

Ironically, the conditions have been worsened by the wet European winters and springs that accompany global warming and promote the growth of vegetation that later dries out during heatwaves to become additional fire fodder.

The fire in the Gironde region of France has so far burned approximately 40,000 hectares, the second largest area of land devastated by a single wildfire in France since the Second World War, the WWA points out.

By the end of July, data from the European Commission Joint Research Centre indicated 434, 976 hectares had burnt since the start of the year, far exceeding the record 346,836 hectares burnt in 2025. By 30 July, 1407 fires had been detected, more than double the long-term average of 632 fires.

The situation has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in mass evacuations. Julie Arrighi, programmes director at Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, said: “What we are seeing now in Spain and France goes well beyond what we would expect from past events.”

Dr Clair Barnes, an Imperial College London researcher and WWA team member, said the findings were “extremely scary,” especially with the recent fires taking place “early in the season” with “another heatwave looming.”

As well as the obvious immediate risk of death and injury to populations, the fires have already emitted 17.98 million tonnes (Mt) of CO₂ and particulate pollution,  further contributing to the climate-driven fire hazard and the health impacts of the phenomenon.

“The smoke increased particulate peak levels up to 20 times above what is considered ‘fair air quality’, and extremely poor air quality was felt up to 400 km away from the fires.” Dr Augustin Colette, at the French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks, said.

An estimated 20,000 excess deaths across Europe were caused by the June 2026 heatwave, according to calculations by Assistant Professor Christopher Callahan from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and about 1.5 million people a year are estimated to have their lives shortened by wildfire smoke.

L’article Carbon pollution makes droughts and wildfires 20 times more likely in Spain and doubles risk in France est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

On 30 July 2026, some 40,000 to 60,000 people (specific numbers vary per source) crossed the border between Morocco and the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, most of them via sea. According to Morocco’s Interior Ministry, who first commented on the matter on Sunday 2 August, the movement was sparked by a combination of misinformation on social media, human trafficking networks, and a Spain court ruling which bans the immediate return of migrants arriving by sea.

@kronikinsights Une scène qui fait le tour des réseaux sociaux : un migrant marocain a été filmé transportant son vélo après avoir rejoint Ceuta lors d’un important afflux de migrants. Selon plusieurs médias, des dizaines de milliers de personnes ont tenté de franchir la frontière entre le Maroc et l’enclave espagnole de Ceuta, un territoire dont la souveraineté est revendiquée par le Maroc et administré par l’Espagne.#info #insolite #viral #buzz #Politique ♬ son original – Kronik insights

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini were quick to respond to the situation. During the evening of Thursday 30 July, they announced the country would be temporarily suspending the Schengen free movement agreement between Italy and Spain, Introducing “targeted and selective” checks on Non-EU travellers. The decision was formally approved on 31 July and took effect on 1 August, scheduled to last for one month.

“The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary choice to safeguard the security of our citizens and defend the European borders. A measure provided for by the treaties and made unavoidable today. The migrant crisis in Ceuta reminds us that the management of the Union’s borders is a shared responsibility among our countries, one toward the other. We must work together to prevent uncontrolled migrant flows from entering EU territory, with all the consequent risks and the threat of terrorism, which must be countered without hesitation,” Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani wrote on X.

Sono favorevole alla chiusura dello spazio Schengen con la Spagna e ho piena fiducia nell’operato del Ministro Piantedosi. L’immigrazione irregolare e incontrollata rappresenta un pericolo per la sicurezza nazionale. Le immagini che arrivano da Ceuta dimostrano come la scelta del…

— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) July 30, 2026

Italian critics of Meloni said the measure was largely symbolic, as there was no reason to believe that the migrants arriving in Ceuta wanted to travel onwards to Italy.

Although Italy’s decision was heavily disputed, several EU member states including the Netherlands, Finland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Sweden seemed to be approving Meloni’s measures. Multiple European far-right parties, such as the French National Rally, the German Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the British Reform UK have praised the decision.

Le immagini arrivate da Ceuta hanno dimostrato ancora una volta quanto sia urgente una risposta europea all’immigrazione clandestina.

Per questo l’Italia ha promosso, insieme alla Danimarca, una lettera sottoscritta da 22 Stati membri dell’Unione europea, che chiede un’azione… pic.twitter.com/v8nmxzSYKn

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) August 1, 2026

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, however, condemned the suspension of the Schengen agreement.

“Solidarity and empathy are optional. Respect for European treaties and the facts is not. This is not the time to divide. It is time to continue building a strong and united EU,” Pedro Sánchez said on X, citing Frontex figures showing the number of illegal entries via Italy between 2021 and 2026 was higher than those via Spain.

Following the border crossings, France, too, announced it would be reinforcing its border checks with Spain. The French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, took to X to share France’s measures.

“In response to the situation in Ceuta, in accordance with the request from the President of the Republic, the deployment of reinforcements has begun at the Spanish border. From this Friday, in addition to the resources already deployed on a daily basis, the number of reinforcements will be tripled, with 184 police officers mobilised alongside enhanced drone surveillance. From tomorrow, these numbers will be increased fivefold, bringing the total to 334 police officers and gendarmes in addition to the usual numbers deployed. Aerial surveillance capabilities will also be strengthened with the deployment of three Border Police aircraft. Furthermore, there will be an increased presence of patrols on trains along the Franco-Spanish rail link”, Nuñez wrote.

Face à la situation constatée dans l’enclave de Ceuta, j’ai, dès hier soir, donné des instructions pour renforcer sans attendre les contrôles à la frontière espagnole. Par ailleurs, j’active la Force Frontière d’intervention rapide pour des contrôles en profondeur.

— Laurent Nuñez (@NunezLaurent) July 31, 2026

By Sunday 2 August, most of those who crossed the border had walked back into Morocco, with Spanish officials saying 72 people died in the border rush and some 1,000 were treated by medical services. Authorities also installed a 500-meter long floating barrier in the sea off Ceuta, in order to boost border security, while police and army patrols were reinforced.

The European Union interior ministers are scheduled to meet for emergency talks on Tuesday 4 August, as 22 member states have requested coordinated border measures. According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, “the Commission has offered support to Spain from the first moment.”

L’article Italy temporarily reintroduces border checks with Spain over Ceuta migrant crisis est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

France

Several major wildfires have been hitting France since the start of June, and some parts of the country are bracing themselves for a fourth heatwave. All eyes are on the French southwest at the time of writing, as two distinct yet nearby areas in the region are facing wildfires of historical dimensions.

The largest blaze started on 22 July 2026 in the town of Saumos in the Gironde department. Since then, approximately 42,000 hectares are thought to have been destroyed completely or partially by the flames, triggering the evacuation of 220,000 people across 23 towns, including tourists staying at local holiday homes, hotels, and camping grounds. Some 240 homes have burned down entirely, and 2,500 firefighters are battling the flames, 84 of whom were injured during the task.

Wildfires dramatic aerial footage of the Gironde blaze near Bordeaux Stay safe pic.twitter.com/oZLjjNPyPj

— France Safety Travel (@francesafetytra) July 26, 2026

On Monday 27 July 2026, the wildfire which took off in Saumos still isn’t under control. With a new heatwave expected to hit the region from Tuesday 28 July onwards, firefighters are doing everything they can to put out the flames, a task that is being made particularly difficult due to the fact that the fire evolved into a so-called ‘pyrocumulonimbus’. The phenomenon, unseen in France until now, means the blaze turned into a thunderstorm fuelled by its own winds and lightning.

A second wildfire started in the town of Biscarosse in the nearby Landes department on 23 July. On the evening of 26 July 2026, 3,600 hectares had been burned down, and the fire still wasn’t fixed. While some 5,000 people were able to return to their homes, the situation remains unstable.

A third fire in the Var has meanwhile burned down 4,500 hectares of vegetation, mobilising some 1,000 firefighters and leading to the evacuation of people in the towns of Barjols, Châteauvert, and Correns. As the wind is making it difficult to contain the situation at the time of writing, although the evening of Monday 27 July might bring rain.

Given the large number of wildfires that have been hitting France since the start of the summer, French president Emmanuel Macron has organised a crisis meeting on Monday, 27 July.

As far as travellers are concerned, the prefect of the Gironde, Sophie Brocas, is advising all those who were planning to travel to the popular region over the coming days (or even weeks) to stay home. She further added that those who were already on-site are invited to look for alternatives, especially since the situation may worsen yet again as of 28 July.

Although travellers could opt to travel to one of the nearby towns or departments, it is worth noting that the wildfires have caused a severe deterioration of the air quality in at least four departments: Gironde, Landes, Dordogne, and Lot-et-Garonne. Masks are currently being distributed in order to protect inhabitants, especially the elderly, those who are struggling with health issues, and children.

Spain

In its turn, Spain has been combating its share of wildfires too over the course of the summer. Provisional data show that over 170,000 hectares of forest land have been affected by wildfires in Spain since the beginning of 2026, compared to just 29,000 in 2025.

At the moment of writing, some 76,000 people have been evacuated across Spain while 30,000 others are confined to their homes, as firefighters are battling the flames throughout the country, with the biggest blazes currently located near Madrid, Ávila, and Valencia. The fire in Ávila burned down 25,000 hectares ravagés and is said to be the biggest one in Spain in recent history.

“What we are living through is not a series of isolated incidents. It is … the most painful manifestation of a climate emergency that is making … wildfires more voracious and heatwaves more frequent, and, as a result, our land more vulnerable. It is no longer an exception. It is the rule,” Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said at a climate conference in Madrid.

While Spanish authorities said the fire near Madrid slowed down overnight, the blaze currently remains “active and uncontrolled”. While some people have been allowed to return to their homes, citizens and visitors alike are urged to continue exercising extreme caution.

With extreme temperatures being announced over the coming days, it is unclear how the wildfires across Spain and France will evolve. However, 2026 is already likely to go into history as a record year.

“Last year, one million hectares burned during the summer and so we are expecting to face another historic, sad record because the season has started earlier in the year,” the EU commissioner for crisis management, Hadja Lahbib, told the BBC, specifying it was likely 2026’s damage from wildfires would exceed previous records.

L’article Wildfires hit tourist areas in France and Spain as 375,000 people are forced to flee est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

According to the European Commission’s latest Transport and Tourism in the European Union: Current trends and issues report, Canarias, Jadranska Hrvatska, Île-de-France, Cataluña, Andalucía, Veneto and Illes Balears together account for almost 20% of all nights spent in EU tourist accommodation. 

The concentration comes as EU tourism reaches unprecedented levels. More than 3 billion nights were recorded at tourist accommodation establishments in 2025 for the first time, with Spain, France, Germany and Italy together accounting for over 60% of the total.

Tourism pressure concentrated in popular destinations

The seven regions include some of Europe’s best-known destinations, from the Canary and Balearic Islands to Paris, Barcelona, Andalusia, Venice and Croatia’s Adriatic coast.

Their dominance illustrates one of the challenges identified by the Commission: tourism is not only growing but remains highly concentrated geographically.

The report points to “uneven tourism dependency” across the EU, with overcrowding and overdependence affecting certain destinations while other regions have comparatively underdeveloped tourism sectors.

Tourism intensity, measured by the number of nights spent per inhabitant, varies considerably across Europe. The Commission’s data show particularly high levels in several Mediterranean and island destinations, reflecting the much greater pressure visitor numbers can place on areas with relatively small resident populations. 

Such imbalances can have wider consequences for destinations, including pressure on housing and infrastructure, increased use of natural resources and impacts on local communities.

42% of tourism nights fall in July and August

Geographical concentration is compounded by seasonality. In 2024, 42% of nights spent in EU tourist accommodation occurred during July and August, meaning that a substantial share of annual tourism activity is compressed into just two months. 

This concentration can intensify pressures during peak periods, particularly in destinations already receiving high numbers of visitors.

At the same time, Europe’s tourism industry continues to expand. The EU welcomed 582 million tourist arrivals in 2025, representing approximately 38% of worldwide arrivals. This was above the 540 million arrivals registered in 2019, although the EU’s share of global arrivals has declined from 47% in 2022. 

Tourism’s economic weight also makes managing visitor flows a delicate balancing act. EU residents spent an estimated €618 billion on tourism trips in 2024, while the sector remains an important source of employment and economic activity across many European regions. 

EU prepares Sustainable Tourism Strategy

Managing tourism growth is set to become an increasingly important part of European policy.

The Commission is preparing an EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy, expected in 2026, against a backdrop of challenges ranging from overcrowding and seasonality to climate change, digitalisation, skills shortages and the need to ensure that local communities benefit from tourism.

The Commission’s figures suggest that encouraging visitors to travel outside traditional hotspots and peak periods could become an important part of creating a more balanced European tourism model.

With EU tourism already exceeding 3 billion overnight stays annually, the question is increasingly not simply how Europe can attract more visitors, but how those visitors can be distributed more sustainably across destinations and throughout the year.

L’article Seven regions account for almost 20% of all EU tourism nights est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The proposals are divided between two themes, “European culture” and “Rivers and birds”, offering a choice between banknotes featuring figures including Maria Callas, Ludwig van Beethoven, Marie Curie and Leonardo da Vinci, or European bird species and natural landscapes.

A public survey is now open and will run until 21 September 2026, with the ECB’s Governing Council expected to select the final design around the end of the year.

“Euro banknotes are more than a means of payment – they are one of the most tangible expressions of Europe,” said ECB President Christine Lagarde. “Through designs that combine beauty and meaning, they will reinforce our shared identity.”

Callas, Beethoven, Curie and Da Vinci

Under the “European culture” theme, each denomination would celebrate a different figure from Europe’s cultural and intellectual history.

The €5 note would feature opera singer Maria Callas, followed by composer Ludwig van Beethoven on the €10, scientist and Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie on the €20, and Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes on the €50.

Leonardo da Vinci would appear on the €100 note, while Austrian writer, peace campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bertha von Suttner would feature on the €200.

Together, the six figures represent different areas of European culture, including performing arts, music, science, literature, visual arts and education.

Rivers and birds offer an alternative

The second theme, “Rivers and birds”, focuses instead on Europe’s natural environment and biodiversity.

Each denomination would depict a different European bird in a river landscape. The series includes the wallcreeper, kingfisher, European bee-eater, white stork, avocet and northern gannet.

The reverse sides would feature European institutions, including the European Parliament, European Commission, European Central Bank, Court of Justice of the European Union, European Council and Council of the European Union, and European Court of Auditors.

The two themes had already been selected following earlier consultations on the redesign of the euro banknotes.

More than 1,200 designers applied

The ten shortlisted proposals are the result of an EU-wide design competition that attracted more than 1,200 applications from graphic designers.

Twenty-five designers were invited to develop proposals for one or both themes before an independent jury of 21 experts selected the ten finalists. The jury included specialists in fields such as graphic design, communication, neuroscience and history, with each member nominated by a euro-area central bank.

Five competing designs have been shortlisted for each of the two themes.

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The next stage now puts Europeans at the centre of the selection process. Anyone can provide feedback through the ECB’s online survey until 21 September.

In parallel, an independent research company will conduct a separate survey using the same questions among a representative sample of euro-area citizens.

Final decision expected by end of 2026

The results of both surveys will be considered alongside the conclusions of the design jury and a technical assessment before the ECB’s Governing Council makes its final decision, expected around the end of the year.

The selected design will then undergo further development and testing before production begins. The ECB says the new banknotes are expected to enter circulation in subsequent years, rather than immediately after the design is selected.

Existing euro banknotes will retain their value and continue to circulate alongside the new series.

The redesign is also intended to improve security and accessibility. New features will seek to make the banknotes easier to authenticate and more accessible to visually impaired people, while greater durability and more sustainable materials and production processes should reduce their environmental footprint.

“The redesign of the euro banknotes is part of a long-term effort by the Eurosystem to ensure that cash remains a secure, efficient and relatable means of payment, preserving citizens’ access to public money and their freedom to choose how to pay,” said ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone.

L’article Europeans asked to choose the new face of euro banknotes  est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The fourth edition of Transport and Tourism in the European Union: Current trends and issues brings together the latest indicators on the competitiveness, sustainability, resilience, connectivity and safety of Europe’s transport system, alongside a detailed assessment of the EU tourism sector and individual country factsheets.

Transport remains a major part of the European economy, with around 1.4 million private and public companies employing approximately 10.4 million people across the EU. But despite progress in electrification and alternative fuels, the Commission’s figures underline the scale of the challenge involved in decarbonising mobility.

Oil still dominates European transport

In 2024, transport accounted for 32.3% of the EU’s final energy consumption, with oil-derived fuels representing 92.3% of all energy consumed by the sector.

Road transport was by far the largest consumer, responsible for 73.1% of transport energy consumption. International maritime transport represented 11.2%, followed closely by international aviation at 11.1%.

Long-term trends also vary considerably between modes. Aviation energy consumption increased by 100% between 1990 and 2024, while rail energy consumption declined over the same period.

At the same time, the transition towards alternative fuels is becoming increasingly visible in European infrastructure. The number of electric vehicle charging points across the EU increased from around 130,000 in 2020 to more than 1 million in 2025, representing growth of approximately 735%.

Progress on rail infrastructure is more mixed. Around 57.4% of the EU’s active railway network was electrified in 2023, although approximately 80% of rail traffic already runs on electrified lines.

The Commission is also looking towards further expansion of high-speed rail. The EU network reached around 12,000 km in 2023, with Spain accounting for approximately 28% and France for 23% of the total.

EU tourism exceeds 3 billion nights

Against the challenges facing transport, the report depicts a European tourism industry reaching unprecedented levels of activity.

In 2025, the EU recorded more than 3 billion nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments for the first time, setting a new record. Spain, France, Germany and Italy together accounted for more than 60% of those overnight stays. 

International demand has also continued to recover. The EU received 582 million tourist arrivals in 2025, representing around 38% of worldwide tourist arrivals. That compares with 540 million arrivals in 2019.

However, Europe’s share of global tourism has fallen from 47% in 2022, even as the absolute number of visitors has increased.

The economic importance of the sector is substantial. EU residents spent an estimated €618 billion on tourism trips in 2024, of which 42% was spent on trips within their own country, 34% elsewhere in the EU and 24% in the rest of the world. 

Growth brings new tourism challenges

Record visitor numbers also come with growing pressure on some destinations.

Nearly 20% of all EU overnight stays are concentrated in just seven regions: Canarias, Jadranska Hrvatska, Île-de-France, Cataluña, Andalucía, Veneto and Illes Balears.

Seasonality remains another challenge, with 42% of overnight stays in 2024 taking place during July and August. The Commission identifies overcrowding and overdependence on tourism in some areas alongside underdeveloped tourism potential elsewhere.

The structure of the industry presents additional vulnerabilities. SMEs represent 99.9% of tourism companies, while the report points to challenges including environmental pressures, staff and skills shortages, digitalisation and dependence on larger tour operators and online booking platforms. 

These issues are expected to feed into the forthcoming EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy, due in 2026. The Commission says the strategy will aim to support a more competitive, sustainable and inclusive tourism model, strengthen local communities and increase the industry’s resilience to future challenges.

L’article EU transport still relies on oil for 92% of its energy as tourism hits record high est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.