Vaccinated Americans Will Be Able to Travel to Europe

Americans who have been fully vaccinated against covid-19 will be able to visit the European Union this summer, said Ursula Von Der Leyen, president of the European Commission. Von Der Leyen, offered a timeline on when exactly tourist travel to the 27 member states or details on how it would happen, according to the report. "Americans, as far as I can see, use vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency," Von Der Leyen said, "This would allow free movement, and travel to the European Union."

Tourism Boost

Responding to the news Simon Vincent, Hilton's executive vice president, president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said, "In a typical year, more Americans travel to our hotels in Europe than any other outbound market. The news that Europe could welcome vaccinated U.S. travelers provides a considerable boost for the industry and could drive a significant economic recovery along with vaccination programs around the world, the threat of a lost summer for tourism in Europe is waning." A Marriott spokesperson said in an interview, "This is certainly a welcome development, as we all want to travel again and we look forward to welcoming U.S. travelers to our EU hotels until we have more details from governments.

"There are a number of discussions between U.S. and EU officials to recognize fully vaccinated Travelers, either with a vaccination passport or some certification."

A Lost Year

The European Union halted all non-essential travel to the bloc more than a year ago in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 28.5% of U.S. citizens (more than 94 million people) have been fully vaccinated, and 42.2% (nearly 140 million) have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The U.S. currently exceeds the EU in terms of vaccinations, with 128 million doses administered to 21% of the EU population as of Saturday, according to the AFP news agency.