Covid-19.


Martin Banks has been a journalist for over 40 years, working in Brussels since 2001 where he has covered EU politics, initially for European Voice and more recently for The Parliament Magazine plus a raft of other titles. He also writes about other topics including culture and travel. Prior to coming to Belgium he had worked in regional (including a 6 year stint as Chief Reporter for the 2nd biggest selling regional in the UK) and national journalism in the UK since 1980.

1 July 2020

Member states agree to lift travel restrictions for 14 countries

EU member states have given the green light to the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU. The Council of the […]
1 July 2020

Top 10 most-booked European cities for the first half of June

Lisbon has risen to the top of the list of the most reserved European cities during the first half of June, followed by Paris and Amsterdam. […]
1 July 2020

Lisbon is the most-booked European city for this summer

Travel activity had been restricted for several months due to the health measures imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19. Many travelers saw their plans derailed […]
30 June 2020

Testing, contact tracing and health certificates may become the new norm

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has laid out the ‘Safe & Seamless Travel’ guidelines which include testing and tracing. The guidelines follow medical evidence […]
29 June 2020

China begins trials of Covid-19 vaccine

The Chinese army has authorized the use of a vaccine against Covid-19 among its soldiers. The vaccine prototype has been developed by a military research institute […]
29 June 2020
Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan to pay $3,000 to tourists who test positive for Covid-19

Uzbekistan will offer $3,000 (2,670 euros) to every tourist who contracts the coronavirus on its territory. In a country of more than 30 million people, severe […]
25 June 2020

Moving to Malta during the Covid-19 pandemic

I had decided to move to Malta in December, planning to move in April. I had co-founded an education consultancy company, Boom Malta, in July 2019 […]
24 June 2020
Plane cabin

Europe leads cautious restart of tourism

Restrictions on travel, introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are slowly being eased, allowing tourism to restart in a growing number of destinations. The latest […]
24 June 2020

26 passengers test positive for Covid-19 on Emirates flight

So far 26 passengers from Emirates flight EK380 have tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Hong Kong. On June 20th, the plane left Pakistan bound […]
24 June 2020
train platform

New Rights of Redress for EU Travellers

Some Member States had been blocking an agreement because they wanted to exclude air and train passenger rights from the scope of the law and wanted […]
23 June 2020
mask

Confinement imposed on 350,000 people due to Covid-19 outbreak in Germany

Guetersloh county in Germany’s most populous state has been put into lock-down after a Covid-19 outbreak at a slaughterhouse. More than 1,500 people from the Toennies […]
23 June 2020

‘Safe Travels’ protocol launched for attractions, car hire and short-term rental

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has unveiled its third phase of measures designed to rebuild global consumer confidence, reduce risk and encourage the return […]
22 June 2020
hotel

European Parliament requests further action to save tourism in the EU

MEPs call for additional measures to save the EU’s tourism and travel sector and make it future-proof after COVID-19 crisis. The resolution on transport and tourism […]
22 June 2020
Slovenia

Slovenia, Ukraine and Egypt to receive ‘Safe Travels’ stamp

Egypt is the latest in a line of popular destinations around the world to sign up to the world’s first ever global safety and hygiene stamp […]
22 June 2020
airport

S&D group in European Parliament calls for “Travel Guarantee Fund” to protect travelers

The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament have called for a “Travel Guarantee Fund” to help ensure travelers do not lose out during the health […]
17 June 2020
Pamplona

Spain to open its EU borders on June 21st

On Sunday June 14th, Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that on June 21st Spain will reopen its borders with the rest of the EU, […]
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