Deserted beaches, free Covid tests - and no masks: Europe's 'safest' destinations lure British tourists

Norway has more coastline than Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Sweden and France combined and ten times as many islands as Greece, the country's tourism agency is boasting in its new advertising campaign for British holidaymakers forced to rethink travel plans in light of Europe's 'second wave'.

Space to social distance rather than sunshine is at the core of the new marketing campaigns launched by a string of unusual holiday destinations competing to lure Brits taking last-minute summer breaks.

With just three cases per 100,000 people over the last fortnight, and a population density of less than six people per square mile, Norway has a good claim to being both the safest destination, and the most unlikely to see Britain impose surprise quarantine rules.

It is 2nd only to Estonia in the number of Codiv-19 cases.

Estonia has registered even fewer infections, 2.6 per 100,000, making it is the safest destination in Europe currently completely open to British tourists. Finland and Hungary, on 2.6 and 2.4 respectively, still impose restrictions.

There is a caveat, however: it's worth remembering that if the UK's 14-day cumulative rate of new infections rises from today's 12.6 per 100,000 to 16, visitors to Estonia will face quarantine, and if it hits 20, visitors to Norway will.

Like Norway's, Estonia's tourism agency is pushing the appeal of its deserted countryside, 2,000 islands, and its low infection rate.

"Our most important message to you is that yes, it is safe to be in Estonia," says Kristin Liisma, Foreign Media Coordinator for Estonia’s Tourism Board. "Some Estonian regions are home to just 6.5 people per square km (2.5 per square mile) and it’s easy to find peace and quiet in untouched nature, which is a scarce commodity in other parts of the world."

Almost all of the country's cases have been either on the island of Saaremaa, where an outbreak was linked to a visiting Italian volleyball team, and in the region around the capital, Tallinn. Eleven out of its 15 regions have not registered a single new case in the last fortnight. Saaremaa, a tourist destination known for its forests, castles and nine meteor craters, has not recorded one since May.

Tallinn has the best-preserved medieval city centre in northern Europe, but for those uncomfortable with spending time in cities, Kristin Liisma recommends the country's "diverse hiking trails leading through picturesque bogs".

The country's beaches, she adds, are also largely empty (due perhaps to average August temperatures below 16C). "Unlike a usual busy resort, the sandy beaches of Estonia have enough space to enjoy the privacy at the beach."

Bente Bratland Holm, chief executive of Visit Norway, adds: "I think the most spectacular beaches we have are outside Stavanger, both for swimming and surfing.

There is one drawback, however: Stavanger did not have a single official 'summer day' last month, with temperatures sticking stubbornly below the 20C benchmark in what has been the coldest July for a quarter of a century.

Even Sweden, highly scrutinised for its liberal coronavirus restrictions, one of the worst-hit countries in Europe, is now promoting its low population density, with less than ten people per square mile, as a draw.

"Our big advantage is that we are a country with a lot of space. 97 percent of the country is uninhabited," Ewa Lagerqvist, chief executive of Visit Sweden, says.

"If you would like to avoid crowds during this time of the year, which I believe a lot of people would, I would recommend the destinations where you have most room, which means the northern parts of Sweden."

Sweden also lets all tourists from the EU and the UK come, regardless of the infection rate at home.

In addition to Visit Norway's 'Welcome to Space' campaign,  the Norwegian health authorities are now offering free coronavirus tests to all foreign tourists.

"The health authorities have said that all people visiting us only need to have one symptom that they suspect could be Covid-19 to be entitled to a free test in all municipalities in Norway," Bratland Holm says.

Another draw of holidaying in countries with low population densities is the absence of tough restrictions. Neither Norway, Sweden, nor Estonia recommends people to wear masks, and while concerts and festivals involving big crowds are still not permitted, most leisure activities are open.

In Norway and Denmark, even theme parks are back up and running, with the Danish government subsidising ticket prices, so that families visiting Legoland, for instance, can get a 37 percent discount.

Lagerqvist argues that even Stockholm, the centre of Sweden's pandemic, with 2,440 deaths per million inhabitants, is now safe as the city's residents are mostly out at summer cottages until schools reopen in mid-August.

"Right now the big cities are quite empty, as most of the Swedish population are on vacation themselves, so probably the cities are very enjoyable as well," she says.

Sweden's tourism industry trade body has launched a "Safe to Visit" scheme, where restaurants, hotels and campsites which meet the country's coronavirus precautions can advertise this fact with stickers on their windows.

And the weather is not all bad. The north of Norway was this week basking in temperatures of 25C.

"The weather is beautiful at the moment," says Bratland Holm, who is currently herself holidaying herself on the north-west coast. "The kids are playing in the water. It’s not quite up to 25 degrees, but it's manageable."