When Sierra Schade booked a trip from Atlanta to Greece, she hoped more European countries would follow Greece’s lead and open to U.S. travelers.

She’s now been able to add Italy and France to the itinerary for her trip next month after the 27-nation European Union recommended last week that restrictions be lifted for American tourists.

As pandemic restrictions start to ease, travelers and the businesses in Europe that rely on them are eager for a return to something resembling normal.

In 2019, before the pandemic, tourism and related activities accounted for 10% of the EU’s GDP, meaning the return of international travel is key to economic recovery, particularly for countries like Greece and Italy that rely more heavily on it. That figure was cut nearly in half in 2020, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

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.