Traveling abroad during the Easter holidays seems complicated and the best destinations are not many. First trends.
Going abroad for the Easter holidays seems complicated, and the favorable destinations are not legion. First trends.
Swiss authorities are still recommending that non-urgent travel be scrapped. But at the dawn of the Easter holidays and with the arrival of fine weather, the wishes for another place are more and more present.
Unfortunately, given the health situation, going abroad does not seem easy. Although Switzerland is no longer in an “extraordinary situation”, unlike the same period last year, the various restrictions tend to discourage potential interested parties, who give up traveling. “This Easter year is not crazy. We are still in the unknown”, sums up David Léchot, president of the Group of Friborg travel agencies (GAVF).
The main reason for this low demand? The real hurdle you have to overcome to get to most destinations. “There are quarantines, tests, forms to fill out on arrival, those who return to Switzerland, the risk that new measures will be taken…”
Preferred destinations
Many countries require quarantine for any arrival from a foreign country. And those that are exceptions – and that are not on the BDPA list – are therefore the favorite destinations of the most persistent travelers. Of these, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica and Egypt are the most popular among travel agencies surveyed. Tanzania, which was also among them, has been included in the list of countries at risk which will come into effect on April 4.
“We are also frequently asked if there is still a country where you can do without a PCR test,” adds Reza Nafissy, director of the Tech Travel agency in Lausanne. But we answer no, because even for countries that do not need it, it is the companies that ask for it. “
For him, these tests can also discourage more than one from going on vacation, because they require a certain budget. When carried out for travel, the PCR test is not covered by the Confederation. “With a round trip, it’s a budget of at least 300 francs per person. It is still expensive,” he says.
“Ethnic Market”
As for flights, they are relatively full for the Easter weekend, especially with regard to Portugal and Spain, which left the list of countries at risk on March 11. But it is above all an “ethnic market”: “These are people who have a family there, a house or other. In terms of tourism, there is almost nothing”, explains David Léchot. “Flights are almost all full because there are far fewer. But in terms of price, the companies haven’t overdone it. When they’re expensive, those are really the weak points.”
In short, there is no rush to get to Easter. For now, anyway, because the situation may change for those who wait until the last moment to make the reservation and, thus, avoid getting involved in cancellation procedures following the evolution of the health situation.
But on the side of the agencies, it is especially for the period of autumn and end of the year that they are in demand. “For Easter, May or June, people do everything at the last moment, they are always waiting. Many questions arise, confirms David Léchot. We have many more orders for September, October, November and December. People are tired and want to leave, so they plan. “
On Facebook, we asked you if you were planning to go out during the Easter holidays. Out of nearly 100 responses collected, the overwhelming majority of readers indicate that they will not travel.
Among the reasons given, there are of course health restrictions, which make the holidays “very complicated”. There is also the financial impact of the crisis and the lack of means to travel this year. And there are also those who simply work during the period and, therefore, will not have time to visit the country.
As for the lucky few who leave, some will see their families in France or Spain. Others will visit Tunisia or Turkey or “take the sun in Dubai”.