The city of Ermoupolis (also called Ermoupoli) is located on the Greek island of Syros.
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LONDON – European travel exchanges rose on Tuesday morning, as customers rushed to make new reservations after the UK announced its four-step plan to end coronavirus restrictions.
Shares of Tui, the German travel group, rose by almost 7% in the first hours of European trading. International Airlines Group, owner of British Airways and Iberia, also grew by more than 6%, and shares of German airline Lufthansa rose by more than 4%.
The sector has been severely affected by coronavirus restrictions, with people being advised not to travel abroad and facing strict quarantine policies if they do so.
However, on Monday afternoon, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled his four-step plan to lift all social restrictions by June 21, which led to an increase in new bookings.
EasyJet said on Monday night that it had seen a 337% increase in flight bookings in the UK and a 630% increase in holiday bookings following the government announcement. Tui also said that bookings increased by 500% overnight.
There is a huge desire to be there and see the world and that recharging will return, it’s just a matter of time.
Keith Barr
CEO IHG Hotels & Resorts
Greece, Spain, Turkey and Portugal were among the top destinations in the new reservations.
Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, said in a statement: “We have consistently seen a growing demand for travel and this increase in bookings shows that this signal from the government that it intends to reopen travel has been what they have been waiting for. “.
Andrew Flintham, CEO of TUI UK and Ireland, said in an email that the Prime Minister’s announcement “was positive and shows that by working with the tourism industry in a risk-based environment, our customers will have the opportunity to travel abroad in the summer. “
The UK lifts coronavirus restrictions in four stages, starting on March 8, with the reopening of schools, but the whole process will depend on how the epidemiological situation evolves.
The government has also said it is reviewing international leisure travel restrictions and will announce the changes on April 12.
“We know there are customers who want to travel, there’s a huge desire to be there and see the world and that recharge will come back, it’s just a matter of time,” Keith Barr, CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts told CNBC on Tuesday Squawk Box Europe.
“Will I make the one-day trip from London to New York for a three-hour meeting? Probably not, so it will have some impact on business travel,” Barr said when asked how the sector might changes to the post -Lovă Covidă, but added that “but the vast majority of property will be able to go through this (crisis)”.