Italy seeks to boost tourism by opening borders June 3

VENICE, Italy (AP) — The Italian government announced Saturday that it will throw open its borders next month, effectively ending Europe’s longest and strictest coronavirus lockdown just as the summer tourism season gets under way.

Both regional and international borders will open June 3, with the government eliminating a 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving from abroad. Many hope the move will revive a decimated tourist industry, which is worth 13% of Italy’s gross domestic product.

Such an opening is exactly what tourism operators have been waiting for -- even if European neighbors so far appeared be wary of the unilateral Italian announcement.

"We hope to work with the neighboring countries, those who can travel by car,’’ said Gianni Serandrei, the owner of the 4-star Hotel Saturnia near St. Mark’s Square.

The hotel’s last guest -- a determined couple of honeymooners from Argentina -- checked out around March 11, days after Italy’s lockdown. And when phones have rung in recent months, it has been with cancellations, with only a few reservations for 2021 trickling in.

Serandrei said that Saturnia’s clients are overwhelmingly foreign, making open borders and an eventual resumption of air traffic key to a successful season. With no clear indication of when more regular air traffic will resume, he is looking forward to further signals before committing to a June 3 opening. The caution may be merited.

Germany -- whose border is about a 4-hour drive from Venice through Austria -- is instructing citizens not to travel abroad for tourism until at least June 15. And officials in neighboring France made clear that they had sought a coordinated European effort on border openings, indicating Italy had jumped the gun.

During a visit to a Normandy beach,...