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Sweden gives green light to travel to 10 countries from July

Sweden on Wednesday issued new guidance on international travel, giving the green light to travel to ten countries.

Published: 17 June 2020 16:41 CEST

Sweden gives green light to travel to 10 countries from July

For some countries, advice against travel is being lifted; for others, it's being extended. File photo: Jessica Gow / TT

Sweden's Foreign Ministry is scrapping its guidance to avoid all non-essential travel to ten EU countries from June 30th.

This guidance has been in place since an early stage in the pandemic, due to global uncertainty and travel bans, and was set to apply until at least July 15th. The advice against travel is not a legally enforced ban, but it does mean that people who travel for tourism purposes would not be covered by travel insurance, for example.

The countries where travellers have the green light to visit from July are: Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain.

This is not based on an assessment of the coronavirus outbreak in those countries, but is based on the fact these countries have not introduced restrictions for Swedes who travel there.

Checklist: Where in Europe can you travel from Sweden this summer?

As for why Sweden's Nordic neighbours were not included in these new rules, Linde said it was due to Denmark, Norway and Finland having introduced restrictions on travellers from Sweden, including quarantines.

“I would have rather seen a Nordic solution. We tried to get that, but didn't succeed,” she said.

For countries within the EU/EEA other than those ten, the advice against non-essential travel continues to apply until at least July 15th.

At the same time, the ministry has extended advice against non-essential travel to countries outside the EU/EEA until August 31st.

“The lifting of the advice for some European countries does not mean that the situation is as usual again. The situation remains uncertain and changeable, even in Europe,” the ministry warned in a statement.

“There is a great responsibility on the individual. Every traveller should carefully consider their journey, prepare well, stay informed, and follow the local authorities' advice and instructions once there.”

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What are the cheapest holiday destinations from Austria this summer?

Travellers from Austria will enjoy the most affordable holidays in Eastern Europe and classic Mediterranean holiday destinations, according to calculations by Statistik Austria on the price levels of tourism products and services.

The calculations considered the purchasing power of people in Austria abroad for May 2024.

“Inflation has reduced the holiday budgets of many people, but the most popular foreign destinations in summer, Italy and Croatia, still have a slightly lower price level than Austria”, Statistik Austria director Tobias Thomas said in a press release.

READ ALSO: Will my Austrian health insurance pay for medical expenses abroad?

He added: “The cheapest holiday destinations are Turkey and Bulgaria, where holidaymakers from Austria get almost twice as much for their money as in their own country.

“In Iceland, on the other hand, they have to dig deepest into their pockets: Tourist products and services, including overnight stays and restaurant visits, cost on average 51 percent more there than in Austria”.

Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean are the cheapest destinations

According to Statistik Austria, the purchasing power of €100 earned in Austria is significantly higher in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. In Bulgaria, it’s €187, in Romania, it’s €161, and in Hungary, it’s €149. For Mediterranean destinations, Turkey offers the best value at €198, followed by Portugal (€132), Greece (€126), Croatia (€124), Spain (€124), Cyprus (€115), and Italy (€109).

Switzerland (€68) and countries in the north of Europe, such as Iceland (€66), Denmark (€76), and Norway (€76), continue to be the most expensive destinations by far.

Most of the changes compared to the previous year were very small, except for Turkey and Poland. The recent strength of the zloty against the euro led to a 5 percent decline in purchasing power to €130 euros in Poland.

In Turkey, a significant devaluation of the Turkish lira contrasts with even higher inflation, resulting in a 4 percent decline in the purchasing power of tourists, although it remains at a high level.

READ ALSO: What are your rights if your trip is delayed or cancelled in Austria?

Overseas destinations

Differing developments in the euro exchange rates are causing changes in both directions for overseas destinations.

For travellers to the United States, the equivalent value of €96 (May 2023: €95) in goods and services remains constant. Holidaymakers in Mexico are experiencing a loss of purchasing power (−7 percent; euro equivalent now €120 compared to €129 in the previous year) due to a stronger Mexican peso.

In Japan, on the other hand, low inflation coupled with a weak Japanese yen resulted in an increase of 14 percent to €129 (May 2023: €113).

Holidays in Australia are still expensive, with €100 in Austria buying goods and services worth €82 (previous year: €83). In the UK, prices are close to Austrian ones, with €100 in Austria buying goods and services worth €102 there.

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