However, the EU has opened travel back up to US citizens because it is now one of the most vaccinated countries in the world.
The list is under constant review but, these are the countries Americans can travel to right now.
Full vaccination status is required in many for entry.
Albania
Armenia
Andorra
Belgium
Austria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Montenegro
The Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
UK
In Asia for example, this is not the case. Many Asian countries have been much slower to reopen to international tourism than the rest of the world.
Japan and China are still closed to US leisure travellers.
How much does the EU rely on American tourism?
Europe is the USA’s number one tourist destination. In the past year, the American tourist drought has cost the industry billions of euros.
Those who rely most heavily on the American traveller include France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Worldwide, Europe is the leading tourist destination, with the industry contributing 10 per cent to EU GDP and creating 26 million jobs.
To put that into perspective when it comes to the US, Americans alone made up nearly 18 million of the 538 million travel arrivals in 2017.
Over half of hotel stays in Europe were taken up by Americans in 2016. This upward spike continued until COVID struck.
Why is Europe so popular with US tourists?
From a historical perspective, the modern US remains relatively young when compared to the ancient roots of many European countries.
On behalf of Spain, Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, putting the contemporary culture at just 500 years old.
America’s backstory is far removed from Europe’s history and culture, with its diverse tapestry of empires and eras.
The continent is often viewed as this romantic vision of quiet cobbled streets, good food, small cities and iconic sights.
In a more general sense, Europe is an extremely diverse part of the world.
While America such a mind-blowingly huge land mass has the oceans and beaches, mountains and canyons, the desert lands and plains, Europe has different languages and complex variations of culture and beliefs.
It’s no wonder the continent is – well, such a wonder to the US.
Tags: COVID-19 pandemic, European tourism, International tourism
