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BRUSSELS, May 13-- The European Commission offered a tourism and transport package on Wednesday, aiming to provide guidance for the European Union (EU) member states to gradually lift the internal travel restriction and reopen tourism, two months after strict measures were introduced to contain COVID-19. The package included an overall strategy towards future recovery, a common approach to restoring free movement within the EU, a framework to support the gradual reestablishment of safe transport, a recommendation aiming to help protect consumers' rights concerning canceled trips due to the pandemic, and criteria for restoring tourism activities while ensuring health safety. The guidance was made to "offer people the chance to get some well-needed rest, relaxation and fresh air," and to allow people to visit their friends and family within the EU, said the commission in a statement. It also aimed to help EU tourism, one of the hardest-hit sectors, to recover from the pandemic by supporting businesses. Meanwhile, a stated intent was to ensure that Europe continues to be the prior destination for local visitors. "You don't know what you've got until it's gone. And I think this is the case with the free movement," said Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, referring to the border controls introduced by a number of EU member states at an earlier stage of the pandemic despite the discouragement from health authorities. | 
