European Tourism Scrambles to Salvage Summer as Lockdowns Ease

There are no visitors at the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre, Edinburgh’s August festivals have been canceled, and the Netherlands’ flower fields are closed.

A man wearing a face mask cycles past the closed up entrance to Claridge's hotel on April 23, 2020, in London, England. Andrew Redington/Getty Images

LISBON/ATHENS—There are no tourists at Vila Gale’s resorts right now, and the home page of the company’s website urges visitors to #STAYHOME.

Still, Portugal’s second-largest hotel chain is busy: staff is stocking up on sanitizers, gloves, masks, and thermometers, re-arranging dining tables to keep guests at least 1.5 meters [5 feet] apart, and drawing up a la carte menus to replace buffets.