LISBON - Portugal will give vouchers to tourists forced to cancel their holiday plans in Portugal because of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing them to reschedule trips until the end of 2021, the secretary of state for tourism said on Thursday .
The vouchers are valid until Dec 31, 2021, and eligible for refund in 2022 if the traveller is unable to make the trip during this time. Those who become unemployed between now and Sept 30 can request a full refund. It is hoped the scheme will help to reduce the damage from a crisis that could reduce international travel by 39 per cent this year, equivalent to 577 million fewer journeys - catastrophic for an industry that accounts for more than 10 per cent of global gross domestic product and employs 320 million people.
However, global lockdowns and closed borders have thrown the tourism industry into turmoil, threatening nine years of record revenue in a sector credited as one of the main drivers of the country's recovery from the financial crisis.