SWANSEA, Wales (AP) — Europe is slowly is opening up to travel again, with people and travel companies alike eager to jumpstart the process. In 2019, before the pandemic, tourism and related activities accounted for 10% of the EU’s GDP. That means the return of international travel is key to economic recovery, particularly for countries like Greece and Italy that rely more heavily on it. There is guarded optimism about tourists returning this year, though the EU doesn’t expect growth in the industry to return to 2019 levels until at least 2023.
