26 May How Hospitality is Reopening Across The World

 

It has been a challenging start to the new year for the hospitality industry. Strict health measures have forcibly shut hotels, bars and restaurants, suspended international travel and put our lives on hold. As Europe gradually starts easing out of lockdown this month, governments have now started phasing out restrictions for restaurants and hotels in hope to reboot the economy and save summer .

Here’s a country-by-country update on how hospitality is reopening around the GDA network:

We understand this is a developing topic and some dates/facts might have changed since time of writing. We will keep this post updated accordingly. Last update: 02/06/2020

 

EUROPE

In Austria restaurants opened in mid-May and hotels on 29 May.

The Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania hotels are opening their doors in phases. Some have been open since May 15 while others are gearing up for June 1st. The bulk of hospitality is set to re-open when international tourism resumes. Local restaurants have also started opening and can accommodate up to 50 pax after June 10th.

Hotels in Belgium are open for basic travel accommodation needs, no bar or catering service allowed (save for room service). Meeting rooms remain closed. Guesthouses, lodges, Bed & Breakfasts and AirBnB accommodation are closed to tourism activities. You can see which hotels are open here. Restaurants expected to start operating on June 8th.

Bulgaria came out of its State of Emergency on May 13th, when small hotels and guest houses started to reopen for domestic travellers. Swimming pools are open and individual outdoor sports permitted. Catering establishments can operate only in the open-air parts of the restaurants – other restaurants are due to open from 1 June.

In Croatia, parks, beaches, shops, museums, hotels, outdoor restaurants, and bars are open. As of 25th May, events for up to 100 pax are allowed inside and up to 300 pax outside.

Finland will re-open shops and restaurants, bars and cultural institutions on 1 June (with social distancing). Events of less than 50 pax will also be permitted from 1 June, and gatherings of more than 50 pax from 31 July. Many hotels and ski resorts remain closed until further notice.

In France, some shops and small hotels have reopened. Restaurants and bars reopen on 2 June in designated ‘green zones’. Beaches and some parks are also reopening beginning of June. Full list here.

Germany’s shops, restaurants and some hotels are now open. Large events may return after August.

Greece started easing lockdown measures on 4 May in a three-part process due to be complete by 1 June. Some shops, bars and restaurants are open, and throughout June, malls, cinemas, amusement parks, playgrounds and sports facilities will open gradually. City hotels and year-round hotels are scheduled to reopen on June 1 followed by seasonal hotels from 15th June. Country should be fully reopened to tourists by 1 July.

In Hungary‘s capital, Budapest, shops, parks and the outside areas of bars and restaurants are open. Elsewhere hotels are also permitted to reopen. Face masks are mandatory inside establishments.

Ireland is in the middle of a five-phase reopening with hotels, museums and galleries set to reopen 20 July. Pubs won’t reopen until 10 August.

Italy will reopen to tourists on 3 June with no restrictions (such as quarantine) upon arrival. However, some regions may implement their own restrictions. Museums, libraries, shops and restaurants were allowed to reopen under physical distancing rules on 18 May (apart from the Vatican Museums, which will reopen on 1 June). Some hotels will reopen in June, depending on bookings.

Luxembourg started reopening restaurants, shops and hotels after 25 May.

Malta allowed restaurants  to reopen from 22 May for both indoor and outdoor seating with physical distancing; and hotels may open by early June.

In the Netherlands, shops and some hotels are open. Outdoor restaurants and bars are due to open from 1 June, as are theatres, music venues, museums and cinemas (with social distancing). Campsites and holiday parks are also open, and their communal facilities are due to open on 1 July. Group activities (events, concerts, festivals) with up to 100 pax will resume after 1 September.

In Poland wearing a face-mask in public is mandatory. Hotels were permitted to reopen from 4 May, and most shops, restaurants, bars, museums and galleries are also open.

Portugal has set out the exact dates it will reopen hotels and beaches for tourists along with the new rules people will have to follow. Hotels intend to start reopening from June 1. Beaches expected to reopen on June 6. Physical distancing will be encouraged, but not enforced by the police.

In Romania hotels, some shops, museums and restaurants began to open from 15 May. Terraces and cafes might reopen as of June 1. Face masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces and on public transport.

In Russia, restaurants remain closed and hotels should start reopening on 1 June.

Slovakia has reopened all hotels restaurants, shopping malls, outdoor markets, sports venues for all sports including gyms, tourist attractions, spa & wellness, museums, galleries and short and long-term accommodation (with catering). Events up to 500 pax can be organised.

Slovenia reopened shops, galleries, some smaller hotels, and bars and restaurants to outdoor spaces.

Spain has allowed outdoor spaces at restaurants and bars to start operating in less-affected regions. Although most will not be fully operational until June. Museums and beaches are open, some are limiting capacity

Sweden never went into full lockdown so hotels, shops, bars, restaurants and some museums are open. Large gatherings of more than 50 are still prohibited.

Turkey will reopen hotels and restaurants from 27 May.

The UK is still under tight lockdown and will reopen some of the hospitality industry (food service providers, pubs and accommodation) with physical distancing measures on 4 July earliest. This would happen only if the numbers are favourable.

 

ASIA

International hospitality groups in China have resumed their operation. As of May 1, some South Korean business travellers in without a lengthy quarantine—provided they are tested upon arrival and stay at a government facility for 1-2 days while waiting for the results. As of May 8, all of Hilton’s 250 hotels in the Chinese mainland have resumed business.

 

AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST

Egypt has started to reopen its hotels to domestic tourists under 25 per cent capacity until the end of May, and can increase to 50 per cent capacity on 1 June. Reuters also reports that hotels must implement new health measures, there must be a clinic with a resident doctor to regularly screen temperatures and disinfectant equipment must be installed, among other precautionary measures. Resorts are not permitted to host weddings or parties, organise entertainment activities, serve shisha water pipes or offer open buffets

Morocco remains on lockdown until at least 20th May, no indication as to when hospitality will reopen.

Rwanda started easing restrictions as of 4 May, although bars, churches and schools will remain closed.

South Africa began to ease restrictions on 1 May with restaurants allowed to reopen, but only for delivery. Some hotels in Cape Town are preparing to reopen by end of May. Social distancing rules and masks in public will remain mandatory.

Tunisia started relaxing a nationwide lockdown beginning of May. Parts of the food, construction and transport sectors have been allowed to start operating. Shopping malls, clothing stores and hairdressers are due to reopen on the 24 May. Places of worship, restaurants and hotels from June 4.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is beginning to ease some strict lockdown measures, but is still not welcoming tourists. As of 23 April, Dubai has allowed cafes and restaurants to resume business. Shopping malls are also open from 12 p.m until 10 p.m, but with a maximum capacity of 30%.

 

THE AMERICAS

Argentina so far experienced the world’s toughest travel restrictions, a complete ban on commercial flight ticket sales until September 1. Although, some non-essential shops and businesses in Buenos Aires have started to reopen. Cafés and restaurants are also allowed to reopen from Tuesday, but only for take-away orders. Hotels are hoping to re-open in mid-July, however this could be extended.

Colombia‘s bars, restaurants and clubs remain closed for the time being. Restaurants, however, will continue to operate delivery services. Face masks continue to be obligatory in public spaces.

Cuba‘s borders remain closed, and there is no clear indication when international tourism will resume. However there are preliminary plans to start to open the resort hotels only to the domestic Cuban market from the end of June. And from September, to open the resort hotels to selected foreign markets, possibly Canada.

In Mexico, the situation is revealing on daily basis. Each region is setting their own conditions and restrictions for the reopening, according to the general guidelines given by the Federal Government.  Quintana Roo, famous touristic region and home to Cancun, is taking leadership on this matter. A couple of weeks ago it announced the target date for reopening would be 1 June, which has since been pushed forward to 8 June to ensure all hotel and restaurant facilities are vetted with the appropriate sanitary measures.

USA has started reopening but there are substantial variations in how states are deciding to open up. You can see how all the 50 states are reopening in real-time here.