by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:30 PM ET, Wed June 24, 2020
Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations globally and the city is working diligently to welcome European and international travelers back as soon as possible.
According to a teleconference hosted by Atout France, officials announced the country is open to tourists from the European Union and plans are in place to gradually begin opening borders to international visitors on July 1.
Hotels, Cafes, restaurants and major tourist attractions in Paris have all started reopening and will be ready to welcome guests when they arrive. As a result, the travel industry has implemented strict health guidelines and a certification process to make tourists feel safe.
Starting September 1, large events of 5,000-plus people-trade shows, conventions, meetings and more-will be allowed to resume, and popular events such as the Tour de France and Fashion Week have been scheduled for late summer-early fall.
As for flights to Paris, Air France is expanding its summer schedule, but will still be down by around 80 percent capacity. On July 6, the carrier will relaunch service to Chicago, San Francisco and Boston, while continuing to serve other major markets like New York City and Los Angeles.
The problem for U.S. citizens is the European Union is reportedly barring them from lists of acceptable visitors, based on how each country handled the coronavirus outbreak. While China, Cuba and other nations are on the list, American travelers would be banned.
Officials said the list would be revised every two weeks to meet the coronavirus outbreak's everchanging parameters around the world. Current restrictions on nonessential travel to all 27 member states plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein were introduced on March 16 and extended twice through July 1.
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