The EU’s decision to take the US off its approved travel list disappoints travel industry

Thursday, September 2, 2021

The EU’s decision to take the United States off its approved travel list, just months after it was included, has disappointed the travel industry; however, it doesn’t bring transatlantic travel to a complete standstill.

EU countries agreed to take the U.S. off the list, and the decision also saw Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and North Macedonia dropped.

This move means that U.S. travelers could once again face restrictions on unnecessary trips to Europe, although countries can lift that ban for fully vaccinated tourists.

This decision was due to increase in coronavirus cases in the U.S., said an EU diplomat. The EU last year recommended that countries need to bring a temporary stop on nonessential trips from outside the EU, and that a coordinated approach isvitalto convince governments to take away travel restrictions within the bloc.

Croatia, for instance, has taken a more generous approach to travel from outside the EU, permitting third-country nationals traveling for tourist reasons to enter with a negative test or evidence of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19.

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