Welcome back!
A little late with this, but still very good news, Portugal has officially announced they are accepting all international flights and that the entire country is open without restrictions as of June 6th.
TAP’s service between the US/Canada to Portugal will be twice weekly, with service from Boston, Miami, and Toronto this month. In July, TAP plans to run approx 250 daily flights globally. This will include three new North American routes: Boston and Toronto to the Azores and Montreal to Lisbon.
According to the report from the Portuguese government health board released on June 14, the regions of Lisbon and the Tagus valley are experiencing an decrease of Covid-19 infections… A few days ago, the country reported 382 coronavirus contamination cases. The country said most ill, between 80% and 90%, were in the Lisbon region.
To reassure traveling tourists, the government has set up a label system enabling to guarantee health precautions taken by labelled places. Over 4,000 places have requested the label in order to launch their summer season. Hotels are regularly taking and recording the temperature of staff, providing access to PPE for both staff and guests, and creating a separate, easy-to-isolate room for people suspected of being infected with the virus. So far, 8,000 hotels, restaurants, and attractions have been approved for the year-long use of the seal.
Restaurants and cafés with 200sqm can reopen at 50% capacity, & must close by 11 p.m. Museums, monuments, art galleries have reopened, as have street-side gable stores covering 200sqm maximum. However enclosed spaces must have a maximum capacity of 5 people/100sqm in order to limit contact. So be prepared to eat outside, dining inside will be very limited. Reservations are also highly recommended if accepting by establishment.
As for the stunning Algarve coast and other coastal beach area that are very popular in summer, Portugal set up a beach occupancy scheme: you will have to keep a 3-meter distance between each family or group, and a gauge will have to be kept by the PEA. To make sure you are not going to the beach for nothing, a phone app – “Info Praia” – has been released & is available on the Portuguese Environment Agency. Beaches will all have an indicator: green, the beach is occupied under 33% and is accessible, yellow, it is still possible to come, red, the beach is full.
Masks are recommended at all times, and required while riding public transportation, gathering outdoors, and inside most attractions.
Portugal looks to be one of the lead summer destinations in Europe. Competing with Greece for the #1 spot this summer. Think your interested in visiting historic stunning Lisbon with it's street cars, beautiful squares, and San Francisco-esque feel, or how about the beaches and clifftop luxury resorts in the beautiful Algarve riviera region. Do a combo or mix it up and head north to the Douro river valley for incredible Porto wine region!! Portugal has something for everyone.
Derek Schemonitz
Avenue Two Travel
Luxury Travel Advisor
412-345-7569
derek.schemonitz@avenuetwotravel.com