Denmark has begun to open its borders again, allowing travel to and from the majority of European countries and some travel from further afield.
Figures released by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs show that people currently registered with the ministry when travelling abroad are most likely to be headed for Germany, broadcaster DR reports.
Over 47,000 people are registered on the so-called ‘danskerliste’ (list of Danes), where Danish citizens can register their whereabouts with the foreign ministries when they go abroad.
Registration on list enables the Danish foreign ministry to contact citizens or send vital information if critical situations occur at locations where they are travelling.
Asian, African and South American countries typically figure highly on the list, but it now reflects the impact of the coronavirus crisis on tourism, with the foreign ministry still advising against non-essential travel outside of Europe.
Every single one of the countries with the highest number of registrations as of Tuesday morning is in Europe, DR reports.
The broadcaster reports the ten countries with the highest number of registrations on July 21st as Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Croatia, Greece, Norway, Iceland, Austria and Sweden.
An ambassador for the ministry’s Citizens’ Service (Borgerservice) praised the trend evidenced by the registration facility.
“It’s positive for us to see that Danes are actually listening to the advisories we are issuing,” Uffe Wolffhechel told DR.
Registration on the list is voluntary, so data taken from it may not provide an accurate representation of Danes’ current travel habits.
“But I would suppose that the majority of travellers are registering because there has been a lot of special attention given to it. Everyone knows we are still living in times of corona,” Wolffhechel added.
Lars Thykier, CEO with the Association of Danish Travel Agents and Tour Operators (Danmarks Rejsebureau Forening), said the figures spoke not just about the destinations where Danes are currently holidaying, but how the registration list itself is perceived and used.
“The (list) is actually intended to be something you use when you are outside the EU. But the past five months’ experiences with Covid-19 have have resulted in people realising that a (registration list) for Danes exists, and they are registering, even on short trips away from Denmark. It’s an innovation,” Thykier said to DR.
Source: thelocal.dk
