Portugal Plans To Reopen To Tourists This Summer

Nearly a month into its “dis-confinement,” Portugal is feeling a little more like its usual, sunny, convivial self. The threat from the coronavirus is far from over—in fact the “situation of calamity” was just extended—but on the streets of Lisbon, there’s a sense of optimism. People are venturing outside their homes and resuming some daily activities (with masks, distance, and endless supplies of hand sanitizer, of course).

The final phase of the reopening will begin on Monday, June 1, for locals (or tomorrow, May 30, in the case of churches), and will include shopping centers, cinemas and concert halls. The country’s gorgeous beaches are set to open June 6 with a color-coded “traffic light” app to prevent overcrowding and warnings that they may be closed again if necessary.

Now TAP Portugal and the national tourism board have announced measures to welcome tourists back into the country. The skies, which have been eerily empty over the past few months will begin seeing more planes. TAP is launching twice-weekly service from Newark to Lisbon on June 4, and plans to add routes from Miami, Boston, Montreal and Toronto in July, although there has been no formal announcement of reopening national boarders.

Also in July, TAP was expected have returned to 19 percent of its previous global network, or 247 flights per week, including connecting service to 21 European destinations. Also, within Portugal, Madeira will have twice daily connections from Lisbon and twice weekly from Porto. In the Azores, Ponta Delgada will have daily service from Lisbon, while Terceira will have three flights per week. In Algarve, Faro will also have twice daily service from Lisbon. There are a slew of new hygiene protocols.

These schedules will continue to evolve. As the Portuguese newspaper Público reported, the plan was met with criticism for its emphasis on Lisbon, and the airline has already issued a statement that it will “immediately” collaborate with business associations and regional tourism entities to make the recovery more equitable.

Tourists will be welcomed to the mainland with temperature controls at the Lisbon airport but no quarantine requirements. (Madeira will impose a 14-day quarantine, and the Azores will require proof of a negative Covid-19 test.) Masks are required in public transport and other enclosed spaces, and social distancing is still expected.

Thousands of hotels and other tourism providers have already signed up for the Clean & Safe seal of good hygiene. Hospitality, like so many other things, will be different than it was before.

The summer music festival season and sardine-eating street parties are all canceled, but the natural beauty, historic monuments and welcoming spirit of the Portuguese people were unaffected by the virus. The hope is that this summer, the country can find a way to safely share them with the world.