Coronavirus regulations in the UK are keeping tourists away from Portugal VILAMOURA, Portugal: In his near-empty pub in the Algarve in southern Portugal, Samuel Tilley is fuming that coronavirus regulations in his home country Britain are keeping tourists away, further jeopardizing an already gloomy summer season. Usually packed with tourists at this time of the year, Vilamoura is quiet, leaving staff at Tilley’s O’Neills bar without much to do but brood over Britain’s decision to leave Portugal off a list of more than 50 countries safe enough for travel without restrictions. “It was very shocking. I don’t believe there’s any logic behind it,” Tilley said. “There are some wonderful people here in the Algarve and beyond and I feel this decision by the British government really hurt them.” Portugal initially won praise for its quick response to the pandemic but a persistent count of several hundred new cases a day concentrated in and around Lisbon in the past two months has worried authorities, leading Britain and other European nations to impose restrictions on travel from the southern European nation. Last year, Portugal welcomed about 2 million Britons, with 64 percent of them heading to the Algarve, famed for its beaches and golf courses. So far in 2020, 92,000 Britons have made it the region. Sunbeds are left empty and lonely waiters stand outside restaurants with menus in hand but no holidaymakers to speak to. “It used to be so busy that you would stand shoulder to shoulder,” Welsh tourist Nadine said as she walked around nearly empty streets in nearby Albufeira. Elizeu Correia, head of the Algarve-based destination management company EC Travel, said not being included in the British safe travel list had been devastating for his business, with revenues dropping about 60 percent this year compared to 2019. “It is obviously a tremendous hit on everybody,” he said. “We had no revenue in March, April, May, June . . . so we were counting on that.” Britons pumped about €3.2 billion ($3.7 billion) into Portugual’s economy last year and without that cash, the Algarve’s businesses, which mainly rely on the busy summer months to make ends meet, will find themselves in a tight spot. The travel list, which allows holidaymakers to dodge a 14-day quarantine on returning home, is expected to be reviewed by next Monday but, even if Portugal is put on the list then, it might be too late. “It is obvious part of the damage can’t be reversed,” said Eliderico Viegas, president of Algarve’s AHETA hotel association. “Many people have already opted for other destinations.” On average, the Algarve’s hotels, which are usually fully booked in July and August, are currently surviving with only 40 percent occupancy, according to AHETA. The Algarve saw its number of registered unemployed in June rise 231 percent compared to the same period last year, increasing from about 8,000 to more than 26,000 people. Most relied on the so-called seasonal jobs, which were wiped out as demand collapsed and businesses closed doors. The government has acknowledged the Algarve needs urgent help, and announced on Tuesday it would spend €300 million to support its struggling economy.