German travellers from western Germany flying with Brussels Airlines can now combine their flight and train journey in a single booking, thanks to a partnership between the Belgian airline and Deutsche Bahn, with the launch of the ICE high-speed train connection between Cologne and Antwerp, which includes a stop at Zaventem, the name by which Belgians commonly refer to the airport.

The partnership between Brussels Airlines and Deutsche Bahn was announced in February. According to the airline, over a thousand tickets have been sold since then.

Brussels Airlines Chief Financial Officer Nina Öwerdieck expressed her enthusiasm over the partnership, saying that the company can now welcome more guests onto its network “without the need to add flights”.

Brussels Airport offers connections to more than 180 destinations worldwide. The most popular destinations for intermodal travellers are New York (United States), Accra (Ghana) and Alicante (Spain).

“We hope this is the start of a large high-speed train network at Brussels Airport, … with more seamless intermodal travel options”, she added.

Her enthusiasm was echoed by Dr Michael Peterson, DB Board Member for Long-Distance Passenger Transport at Deutsche Bahn, who said the direct trains are making “international rail travel even easier and more appealing for passengers”.

Brussels Airport chief Arnaud Feist warmly welcomed the new connection. He explained that the ambition is to establish this connection sustainably and that they hope it will be the starting point for more high-speed train links in the future.

Feist says Brussels Airport was the first airport in the world to have its own railway station connected directly to the terminal when the new airport opened in 1958, ahead of the Brussels World Fair. “The train has always held a special place at the airport,” said Feist.

Currently, 330 trains stop at the airport station on weekdays, providing direct rail links to 80 stations, a number set to increase as new services are added.

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The new service offers two return journeys every day between Cologne and Antwerp. Trains from Cologne arrive at Brussels Airport at 08:29 and 16:28, while those travelling in the other direction call at the airport at 11:29 and 14:29. The trains also stop in Aachen, Liège and Leuven along the way.

Passengers combining train and plane can earn Miles & More points and benefit from a guaranteed connection in the event of delays. They also receive reserved seating on the train and CityTickets for local transport in Cologne and Aachen. Eligible premium passengers can also access the DB Lounge at Cologne Central Station.

To celebrate the inaugural journey, the first passengers on the service were offered complimentary Neuhaus chocolates, another perk of travelling with a Belgian company.

L’article New Cologne ICE service reconnects Brussels Airport with European rail network est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers has reduced its traffic forecast for the financial year ending 31 March 2027 from 216 million to 214 million passengers. The decision is intended to limit Ryanair’s exposure to expensive unhedged fuel during the winter season, when airlines traditionally face weaker demand and profitability.

Jet fuel has recently been trading at around $140 (€120) per barrel, approximately double the price at which Ryanair secured most of its fuel requirements for the current financial year.

The airline has hedged 80% of its fuel at $67 per barrel, providing significant protection from current market prices. Hedging allows carriers to agree fuel prices in advance, protecting them from sudden fluctuations in energy markets.

However, Ryanair said it was “prudent to strategically limit exposure to unhedged aircraft fuel during the unprofitable winter season”, which runs from November to March.

Two million fewer passengers

As a result, Ryanair expects its passenger numbers during the winter to remain broadly unchanged compared with the previous year rather than continuing the growth recorded during the summer.

The airline expects to carry around 145 million passengers between April and October, up more than 5% from approximately 138 million during the same period last year. In August alone, Ryanair carried 22.2 million passengers, an increase of 6% year-on-year.

The reduction in winter capacity is expected to cut seasonal losses by between €70 million and €100 million.

Ryanair nevertheless expects to remain profitable for the full financial year, although profits are likely to fall below the record levels achieved during the previous 12 months.

European air fares could rise in 2027

The airline has also warned that persistently high energy prices could have wider consequences for European aviation next year.

“If high oil prices continue through to summer 2027, Ryanair believes short-haul air fares in Europe will increase materially to reflect higher oil prices, as some less well-hedged competitors will struggle to maintain capacity or even survive this coming winter season,” the carrier said.

The warning echoes concerns raised earlier this year by the wider aviation industry. IATA Director General Willie Walsh had already warned that higher fuel costs would inevitably feed through to ticket prices as geopolitical tensions disrupted energy markets and increased costs for airlines.

The pressure on Ryanair itself has also been building for months. In April, the low-cost carrier revealed additional fuel costs of $50 million (€42.6 million) in a single month, with CEO Michael O’Leary warning about the consequences of persistently elevated fuel prices for less financially resilient European airlines.

Fuel represents one of the largest operating expenses for airlines, but the impact of rising prices varies significantly depending on how much fuel each carrier has hedged and at what price.

Ryanair’s relatively high level of hedging gives it substantial protection against current market prices, but its decision to reduce capacity illustrates the scale of the pressure even for carriers that secured much of their fuel in advance.

If elevated prices persist into 2027, airlines will progressively have to purchase a larger proportion of their fuel at higher rates as existing hedging contracts expire. That could force carriers to reduce capacity, increase fares or find savings elsewhere.

Network cuts

Ryanair has already made adjustments to parts of its network amid wider geopolitical disruption. The carrier suspended 17 routes to Amman, Jordan, during the summer. When services return, the airline is expected to initially connect the Jordanian capital with only four airports: Budapest, Bucharest, Madrid and Vienna.

For passengers, the immediate effect of Ryanair’s winter reductions will depend on which routes and frequencies are removed. But the airline’s broader warning is clear: if fuel prices remain close to current levels, European travellers could face fewer flights and higher fares in 2027.

L’article Ryanair cuts winter flights as fuel prices soar and warns of higher fares in 2027 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Gone are the days of endlessly waiting on a desolate railway platform in winter, wondering where on earth our train might be. TrainTracker 24 will not fix the gloomy, insufficiently lit station, but it will show you the history of the station, and more importantly, it will show you the exact whereabouts of your train, explain potential delays and confirm whether or not there is a taxi rank or bike rental service at your destination, or lockers to leave your luggage while you visit the city.

Launched in August, TrainTracker24 functions pretty much like Flightradar24, with trains represented by small coloured arrows moving across the map in real time. Clicking on one of these arrows provides detailed information about the train, including its number, stops and schedule, whether it is on time, the distance it covers, and the total journey time.

A service tab provides information about the train itself. Does it have air conditioning (essential during heatwaves), power sockets, or bike space? Is it accessible for people with reduced mobility, and does it have priority seating? The website clearly shows where the different classes are located on the train and the type of locomotive and carriages being used.

Crucially, the platform also provides “service info” about any disruptions or works along the route, including the dates on which works are scheduled and which stops are affected. Information on delays and cancellations is updated in real time, alongside statistics on active trains and punctuality.

TrainTracker24 est enfin sorti !

Suivez vos trains en temps réel en France, Espagne et Belgique. https://t.co/3V1HIMDXEP

— TrainTracker24 (@traintracker24_) August 26, 2026

It is remarkably easy to follow a train from A to Z, check its punctuality history and watch it make its way across the map. The journey can be made to feel more real by switching to satellite view and exploring the stations it stops at. Updates are provided every 20 seconds.

The latter are interactive, too. Clicking on one brings up a detailed overview alongside constantly updated departure and arrival boards.

There is plenty more to explore for train enthusiasts. The platform provides statistics on passenger numbers and punctuality for individual stations. For example, Brussels-Central has a punctuality rate of 93.8% and an average of 58,877 weekday boardings.

Lille recorded 25,331,979 passengers in 2024, and in June 2026, only 75.8% of its northbound long-distance TGV services were on time, compared with a 90.3% reliability rate for Hauts-de-France regional services.

Meanwhile, Paris Gare du Nord recorded 257,024,152 passengers in 2024 and had an 89.7% punctuality rate in July 2026. Madrid’s overall punctuality rating is 3.2 out of 5, with 87,496 passengers travelling daily.

The map can be filtered by national rail operators and also includes international operators such as Eurostar and Italy’s Frecciarossa. Other filters allow users to identify high-speed stations, stations without rail services, and operational stations that are closed to the public.

The main features of TrainTracker24 are free. Paid options include a personalised journey map, live data on disrupted services, the ability to sort trains by number of delays, and more detailed infrastructure information, ranging from track types to expert analyses.

The platform uses open data supplied by train operators, regional authorities, and infrastructure managers, and it plans to expand further across Europe, where there is a renewed surge in interest in rail travel, including night-train services.

L’article New live map tracks trains in real time across France, Spain and Belgium est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Stops currently listed on the European Sleeper website for the future route include Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. Departures from both Brussels and Malmö will be timetabled three times a week at around 7:00 pm, European Sleeper said in promotional materials, with arrival at around 10:00 am the following morning. This way, the train firm says, “you can start your day in the Benelux or Scandinavia well rested.”

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On-board accommodation is likely to include European Sleeper’s typical range of seats, couchettes, and sleeping compartments but, amid the “premiumization” of travel, more “luxurious” configurations such as double beds and private en-suite bathrooms are “being considered,” press information reveals.

The service will be the Belgian-Dutch operator’s first to Scandinavia, and will rely on a partnership with Germany’s RDC, a rail firm that already works with European Sleeper on Paris-Berlin and Milan routes.

Markus Hunkel, chief executive officer of RDC, explained: “RDC has many years of experience operating night trains between Germany and Scandinavia. Together with European Sleeper, we can build on that experience and create a strong new connection between the Benelux, Denmark, and Sweden. We see real potential in combining our operational expertise with European Sleeper’s growing network and customer reach.”

European Sleeper already runs a suite of night trains to destinations in Germany, including Hamburg, Berlin, and Dresden, as well as to Prague in the Czech Republic. Delayed by a few months due to track works and regulatory issues, a new service is coming from 9 September 2026, through Switzerland and on to Italy’s Milan—a route the train firm has described as an important north-south axis. Brussels-Barcelona is also an upcoming connection.

“Our network is growing quickly, and Scandinavia is a natural next step,” said Chris Engelsman of European Sleeper.

Though separate infrastructure, different rail gauges, multiple websites, and ticketing challenges have historically dogged the development of pan-European rail travel, the segment is now growing rapidly, supported by legislation and subsidies that are making never-before-seen itineraries possible. That includes 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.

L’article New European Sleeper train to connect Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Malmo est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

But the balance of European tourism may be shifting.

A major study by Deloitte and Google forecasts that Spain will overtake France by 2040, receiving around 110 million international tourists a year compared with 105 million in France.

The difference may appear relatively small, but the forecast points to a larger transformation of global tourism. International travel is expected to expand from around 1.5 billion trips in 2019 to 2.4 billion by 2040, while the traditional dominance of a handful of countries gradually gives way to a more diversified tourism map.

For Spain, however, the most striking point is that a forecast once looking relatively distant is beginning to appear increasingly plausible.

In 2025, Spain welcomed a record 96.8 million international tourists, up 3.2% from the previous year. As Travel Tomorrow reported in July, the country is now on course to approach or potentially surpass the symbolic threshold of 100 million visitors in 2026.

If that happens, Spain could effectively reach within the next year a level that leaves it only around 10 million visitors short of Deloitte and Google’s projection for 2040.

A global tourism market heading towards 2.4 billion trips

The Deloitte and Google research looks at how international travel has evolved over several decades and models how demographic, economic and geopolitical changes could reshape the sector up to 2040.

Between 1975 and 2019, global international arrivals roughly doubled every 15 years, eventually reaching almost 1.5 billion before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted that trajectory.

The long-term growth story is nevertheless expected to continue. By 2040, the study anticipates around 2.4 billion international trips globally.

Europe will remain the largest destination region, capturing 38% of the additional international arrivals generated between 2019 and 2040. That represents more than 362 million incremental tourists. Asia-Pacific follows with more than 278 million additional visitors.

The five leading destinations accounted for around 30% of global arrivals in 2019. By 2040, Deloitte and Google expect their combined share to fall to approximately 20%, even though most of today’s tourism giants will remain near the top.

Spain, France, the United States and China are all expected to retain positions in the global top five. Mexico is projected to rise to fifth place, pushing Italy into sixth, while destinations such as Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates could enter the top 15.

The Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, the emerging tourism markets of the Middle East and the Caribbean are collectively expected to account for around 45% of international travellers.

Spain is already closing the gap

France remains number one today and its latest figures underline the scale of that achievement.

As Travel Tomorrow reported earlier this year, France welcomed 102 million international visitors in 2025, compared with 100 million in 2024. Those travellers generated 743 million overnight stays, while international tourism receipts reached a record €77.5 billion, an increase of 9% year-on-year.

France therefore still welcomed around five million more international visitors than Spain in 2025.

Spain earned €134.7 billion from international tourists in 2025, up 6.8% from €126.3 billion in 2024, according to official Spanish figures. That means Spain generated considerably more international visitor spending despite receiving fewer tourists.

El turismo internacional se mantiene como un motor clave de nuestra economía.

En el primer semestre, España recibió la visita de 46,6 M de turistas internacionales (+4,6% que en 2025), quienes realizaron un gasto de más de 63.800 M € (+7%).

https://t.co/B5b9o5WET0 pic.twitter.com/vbimq9mKNZ

— Ministerio de Industria y Turismo (@minturgob) August 3, 2026

Part of the difference comes from length of stay. International visitors to Spain tend to remain longer than those travelling to France, allowing accommodation, restaurants, attractions and other tourism businesses to capture more spending per trip.

The comparison also highlights one of the increasingly important questions facing mature tourism destinations: is success best measured by the number of people who cross the border, or by the economic, social and environmental value generated by each visitor?

France itself is increasingly emphasising the latter. Its tourism authorities aim to increase international tourism receipts to €100 billion by 2030 while positioning the country as a leading sustainable destination, rather than simply focusing on maintaining the highest arrival figures. Spain is moving in a similar direction.

From record arrivals to ‘calm growth’

Spain’s rise has been driven by a combination of factors that are difficult for competitors to replicate: an enormous tourism infrastructure, strong aviation connectivity, beaches and islands, major cultural cities, a broad hotel supply and a climate that allows tourism to operate throughout much of the year.

Its tourism geography is also remarkably diverse. Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Valencia and Málaga compete alongside the Canary and Balearic Islands, the Mediterranean coast, northern Spain, historic inland cities and increasingly popular rural and nature destinations.

Changing travel patterns are helping too. Shoulder-season tourism is growing, while warmer temperatures and changing traveller preferences are making spring, autumn and even winter increasingly attractive periods for visiting southern Europe.

But Spain’s government has begun signalling that it does not want the next chapter of tourism growth simply to be a race towards ever greater numbers.

Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu has described the preferred model as “calm growth”, with authorities seeking to spread visitors geographically and seasonally rather than concentrating ever larger numbers in the country’s established hotspots.

As Travel Tomorrow reported when looking at Spain’s prospects of reaching 100 million visitors in 2026, the government has been promoting inland destinations, gastronomy, nature, cultural tourism and travel outside the traditional summer peak.

This year’s total solar eclipse has provided one example of how a major event can redirect international visitors towards rural and lesser-known parts of the country.

Yet if Deloitte and Google are right and Spain eventually reaches 110 million annual visitors, redistribution will become more than a marketing objective. It will be an economic and political necessity.

The overtourism paradox

Spain’s rise to the top of world tourism would represent an extraordinary commercial success. But it would also sharpen one of the country’s most difficult debates.

Anti-overtourism demonstrations have become a recurring feature in Barcelona, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and other heavily visited destinations. Protesters have focused on housing shortages, short-term holiday rentals, congestion, pressure on public services, water use and the perception that local communities increasingly bear the costs of a tourism industry whose benefits are unevenly distributed.

The Spanish authorities have responded with measures at national, regional and municipal level.

The government has ordered tens of thousands of properties that failed to meet requirements for tourist and seasonal accommodation to be removed from the relevant rental register. Barcelona intends to end licences for around 10,000 tourist apartments by 2028, effectively eliminating the city’s legal short-term apartment stock under the current system.

Cruise tourism has also come under greater scrutiny. Barcelona has already reduced the number of terminals used by cruise ships in its central port area, while other cities are examining ways to manage passenger flows.

In the Balearic Islands, tighter restrictions have targeted alcohol-fuelled tourism and party boats, while Málaga has launched campaigns asking visitors to respect local residents, keep noise down and behave appropriately in public spaces.

These interventions show the contradiction at the heart of the 2040 forecast.

For national tourism accounts, another 10 or 15 million tourists represent billions of euros in additional economic activity. At neighbourhood level, however, the same growth may translate into additional pressure on rents, transport systems, beaches, historic centres and natural resources.

Spain therefore faces the challenge of becoming the world’s most visited country without allowing the volume of tourism to undermine the very qualities that make people want to visit.

France is unlikely to surrender its crown quietly

It would also be premature to regard Spain’s takeover as inevitable.

Forecasts extending to 2040 inevitably depend on assumptions about economic growth, population, aviation, climate change, geopolitics, disposable income and the expansion of the global middle class.

France also possesses formidable structural advantages.

Paris remains one of the world’s most powerful destination brands, but French tourism extends far beyond the capital. The Alps, Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, wine regions, villages, gastronomy, cultural heritage and extensive rail network give the country an extraordinarily broad tourism offer.

France is also attempting to distribute tourism more evenly through wine tourism, agritourism, memorial tourism, nature tourism and lesser-known regional destinations.

After receiving 102 million international tourists in 2025, it needs only modest growth to reach Deloitte and Google’s 105 million forecast for 2040. Spain, by contrast, would need to accommodate around 13 million more international arrivals than in 2025 to reach 110 million.

In numerical terms, neither projection looks particularly radical. The real question is what happens between those figures.

Being number one may no longer be the most important target

For decades, tourism rankings have rewarded volume. The country receiving the largest number of international arrivals takes the crown, generating headlines and political prestige.

But the Spain-France comparison increasingly exposes the limitations of that metric. Spain already generates substantially more international tourism expenditure than France despite welcoming fewer visitors. Both countries are simultaneously trying to increase tourism revenues while reducing congestion, spreading demand into different regions and seasons, and mitigating the impact on residents.

The global tourism industry itself is changing. By 2040, hundreds of millions of additional people are expected to travel internationally, fuelled particularly by the expansion of middle classes in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.

That creates an enormous economic opportunity for Europe. It also means that destinations already dealing with overtourism cannot simply assume that absorbing more visitors is the objective.

Spain may indeed overtake France and become the world’s most visited country by 2040. At its current rate of growth, it could even happen considerably sooner.

But the more consequential test will not be whether Spain reaches 110 million tourists, or whether France manages to remain ahead.

It will be whether Europe’s two tourism superpowers can demonstrate that record demand can coexist with affordable housing, liveable cities, protected natural resources and communities that continue to see tourism as an asset rather than a burden.

By 2040, that may be a far more meaningful measure of tourism leadership than the number at the top of an arrivals table.

L’article Spain to overtake France as world’s most visited country by 2040, study predicts  est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The findings from World Weather Attribution, involving researchers from Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, show that carbon pollution has supercharged sea surface temperatures, raising them by about 2C in the Mediterranean, 1.4C in the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Peninsula, and 1.3C around Ireland and the Channel.

The marine heatwaves are being observed earlier in the year, more frequently, and at higher intensities than would have been usual in pre-industrial times, with temperatures occurring in the Celtic region that previously would have been considered a 1-in-100-year event. In the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Peninsula, the western Mediterranean and eastern Mediterranean, the sea surface highs “would have been virtually impossible in a pre-industrial climate,” the researchers said, noting that the increases in the western and eastern Mediterranean“substantially exceed the level of global warming.”

The high sea surface temperatures have occurred outside the summer months too. The shoulder months, especially in spring, show warming much greater than the global average, the study says.

Co-author Claire Bergin, a climate analyst at Ireland’s Maynooth University, said: “While warmer waters for swimming may sound appealing to beachgoers in cooler countries like mine, the impact on marine life beneath the surface is more serious.” She went on to warn of “the potential to completely reshape ecosystems that coastal communities rely on for food and income, and drive damaging extreme weather on land too.”

As marine species migrate and adapt their diets to the changing conditions, “shifts in marine species distributions may affect the range of fish and crustaceans available for human consumption and aquaculture,” the report warns, highlighting examples such as dolphins reportedly feeding on jellyfish due to changes in the availability of their usual prey.

Warmer seas not only bring a risk of different diseases and parasites, but in turn cause warmer air and higher humidity for coastal regions increasing the risk of heat stress in human populations, and the chance of extreme rainfall events later in the season.

The report calls for a rapid transition away from the climate supercharging fossil fuels which, the researchers say, “is essential to save crucial ecosystems, fisheries, food production and tourism along the European coasts.” They also suggest adaptation measures to reduce pressure on marine ecosystems, protect habitats, evolve fisheries and aquaculture management, and improve monitoring and early-warning systems.

L’article Climate change pushes European seas to unprecedented temperatures, study finds est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The latest figures reveal that global leisure travel spending hit $6.15TN in 2025, up 3.5% year-on-year and accounting for 80.5% of total global travel expenditure. Of this, Europe attracted $2TN, “equivalent to $1 in every $3 spent worldwide on leisure travel,” the WTTC said, highlighting the region’s enduring appeal as travellers embark on this year’s summer holidays.

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Southern Europe is largely driving the region’s success, as France, Spain, Italy, and Türkiye “remain among the most sought-after summer destinations globally, benefiting from strong international demand, diverse source markets, world-class tourism offerings and robust connectivity,” the WTTC statement noted.

That trend is likely to continue the WTTC predicts. Leisure spending growth was “resilient” across key destinations in 2025, with France expanding by 3.6%, and Spain by 2.6%. Italy is expected to build on its 2025 growth of 2.2% and move into the lead in 2026, with leisure spending forecast to rise by up to 4.7%.

Spain (+4.3%), Türkiye (+4.1%) and France (+2.6%) are projected to reinforce Southern Europe’s position as a powerhouse of global tourism demand, with part of the region’s strength coming from “demand redirected from other regions,” the WTTC said.

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The figures echo findings from the UN World Tourism Barometer earlier in 2026, which positioned Europe as the world’s largest destination region, recording 793 million international tourists and robust performance in Southern Mediterranean Europe (+3%) amid strong visitor spending receipts and export revenues, particularly in France (+9%), Spain (+7%), and Türkiye (+6%).

Notably, UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Alnuwais pointed out at the time, before the war in Iran, that demand remained high despite inflation and geopolitical uncertainty, with the positive trend expected to continue into 2026, as the “global economy is expected to remain steady and destinations still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels fully recover.”

While that prediction for the global economy may not have been entirely accurate, “Europe continues to set the pace for global leisure tourism,” said GloriaGuevara, WTTC President & CEO, commenting on the latest WTTC findings, which she said demonstrate the regional sector’s “strength, diversity and resilience.”She attributed the success of Spain, Italy, France, and Türkiye “to their unique visitor experiences, excellent connectivity and competitive tourism offerings.”

Guevara also called for destinations to “continue investing in infrastructure, connectivity and sustainable tourism management to support future growth and maintain their global competitiveness. The outlook for 2026 shows Europe is well positioned to continue leading global Travel & Tourism.”

L’article Europe dominates leisure travel capturing a third of global spending in 2025 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

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.