Dreaming of vacations - Luxury hotels reopen in Austria, Sardinia and Croatia

Private jet charter companies and selected luxury hotspots in Austria, Sardinia, Campania and Croatia are teaming up with their respective governments to enable leisure summer tourism for second-home owners and affluent travellers. As European governments are slowly easing their restrictions, those enduring the COVID-19 lockdown are weighing up the available options to travel safely in the months ahead. As much as hospitality facilities are resilient, and currently drafting detailed plans to give the industry a fresh start, strict safety measures and increased controls while travelling are to be expected.

Travellers seeking COVID-free destinations will be looking for travel options in those countries which have best managed the crisis. As commercial airlines are still grounded, private jet charter companies like GlobeAir will be offering the best alternative to reach those destinations safely.

Governments are still drafting regulations, and uncertainty around travelling policies is still high. Nevertheless, it is already possible to identify which countries are on the right path towards offering safe travelling options in the near future.

"We have now learnt how to adjust to the new normal by practising social distancing. Although the way we travel could change drastically in the future, it is still important to acknowledge the fact that travelling is a necessity for many of us," says GlobeAir CEO Bernhard Fragner.

With only 550 deaths and a stabilized reproduction rate of 0.6%, Austria has been regarded as one of the safest places to be. Vienna, the Salzkammergut lake region and Salzburg town are expected to be top-of-the-list travel locations as soon as hotel bans are lifted on May 29th. Austria's ban on commercial inbound flights coming from some of the countries which have been most affected by COVID-19 including France and Spain is to last until May 22nd, according to the latest announcements published on May 1st.

Despite the terrible impact that COVID-19 has had on the Italian peninsula, Sardinia has been an exception. Isolated from the mainland, "Sardinia is a safe place to visit," reports Sardinia's President Solinas. From June on, when airports in Sardinia will gradually reopen for travellers again, passengers will be asked to show a negative COVID-19 test and will need to undergo a quick COVID-19 test upon arrival. A mobile app to track travellers' movements around the island could also see travellers preferring starred hotels located around the main airports of the region, those being Olbia Costa Smeralda, Alghero, and Cagliari.

GlobeAir is working closely with the local travel experience and concierge services provider 4experience to arrange all-in-one trips to Sardinia, from private jet flight to luxury accommodation, in total safety. Porto Cervo, Costa Smeralda's most sophisticated location will keep up its reputation and welcome high-end tourism this year too. Naples, Amalfi and Capri are also getting ready to start operating again in June with major hotels such as the Romeo Hotel, the Grand Hotel Vesuvio, Le Sirenuse, Santa Catarina in Ravello and others already confirming reopening dates.

Croatia will reopen its borders on May 17th; as per the latest government announcements, hospitality facilities will be operative again by mid-June when the so-called “Tourist-Corridor” project is to begin. The country has reported one of the lowest European mortality rates per capita with only 33 deaths ascribable to COVID-19. International travellers with a valid health certificate will be allowed in both by road and by air. We expect visitors to prefer Zadar, Dubrovnik and Split for their well-known yachting and seaside travel offerings.

Private jet charter companies expect European governments to refine travel regulations in the next few weeks. GlobeAir is always reporting the latest news on the matter of travel options to help tourists reach their families, second home, or have a break from the burden of the pandemic, of course following the safest travelling procedures.

You can always find more information about flights availability and the pandemic at https://www.globeair.com/b/coronavirus-private-jet.