Travel buffs, rejoice: the European Union has plans to allow fully coronavirus-vaccinated U.S. tourists to visit over the summer, as the New York Times reports. Although it is still unclear when exactly that would happen, the news casts a bright ray of hope for travelers who have had their plans halted over the past year – and with vaccinations in full swing, they can expect to get packing very soon.

According to the report, representatives from the European Union and the U.S. have been debating over how to create a sort of “broadly readable” vaccination certificate that would allow tourists from both places to travel without restrictions. The E.U. has already begun to issue “digital green certificates” to its citizens so they can potentially travel within the 27-country bloc without constraints. 

This is also great news for nations like Portugal and Greece, whose economies strongly rely on tourism and which typically welcome millions of American travelers every year. According to Reuters, the pandemic has been the biggest economic crisis to hit Portugal in recent history, with its GDP decreasing 7.6% in 2020, the steepest drop since 1936. 

However, it is still early to say which places tourists will be able to visit. Portugal, for example, has just begun to ease its Covid-19 lockdown in April, with some areas still under tighter restrictions. Italy has also started to ease its lockdown measures this week, with places open for 50 percent capacity and a curfew still in place – one of its most famous attractions, the Colosseum, is now open every day. 

In Spain, one of the hardest-hit countries at the beginning of the pandemic along with Italy, a state-of-alarm that has been in place since the end of 2020 is expected to be lifted in early May with some restrictions – though the city of Barcelona, which pre-pandemic received more U.S. tourists than from any other nation, has already begun a campaign to attract travelers back. 

Meanwhile, France – the most popular tourist destination in the world – is still under a nationwide lockdown, with president Emmanuel Macron expected to announce an easing of Covid-19 rules in the next few days. That means beloved Paris attractions such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the iconic Café de Flore all remain closed until further notice.