Travels

The trade war with the USA is having a severe impact on china’s economy. China’s overall trade in goods fell by four percent in june.

The mutually imposed punitive tariffs alone are causing trade between the two major economies to plummet by more than 13 percent, according to the chinese customs service in peking this friday. China’s imports from the u.S. Again suffered a massive 31.4 percent drop in u.S. Dollar terms compared to the same month last year (may: 29.6 percent). Chinese exports to the USA continued to fall sharply by 7.8 percent (may: 8.4 percent).

Peter Fankhauser, chairman of the board of management of Thomas cook AG, announced the two operators' "biggest holiday program of all time". Prices remained stable on average, said fankhauser at the presentation of the 2012/2013 winter catalogs on monday in schwarzenberg, austria. For the long-distance destinations, they will increase by about three percent. Reason is the weaker euro compared to the dollar.

In addition, significantly more hotels can be booked through the group's tour operators that are not in the catalogs. For the winter season in spain and portugal alone, there are more than 1,000 additional hotels that can be booked online and through travel agency systems, said fankhauser. The company's main aim is to prevent more and more holidaymakers from booking their trips on the internet, bypassing the tour operators, and is thus declaring war on the booking portals.

Before a week of further easing in the corona crisis, chancellor’s office chief helge braun prepared the population for a phase with unequal treatment.

In the gradual opening of everyday life, "there can’t always be absolute equality for all areas of society, because our approach is gradual," the CDU politician told the newspaper welt am sonntag. Every single step is a foregone conclusion. From monday on, hairdressers should be allowed to open again for the first time in weeks. Schools are also expected to reopen for some of the students.

The EU commission has rejected plans by the german government to restrict consumer rights in the event of travel cancellations due to the corona pandemic.

The commissioner for justice and consumer protection, didier reynders, told the newspapers of the funke mediengruppe that he was aware of the unprecedented crisis for the tourism sector in europe. But decisions of the member states had to be in line with EU law and coordinated within the EU. Under EU law, consumers had the choice of accepting a voucher or preferring a refund.