The aim of the article is to show the impact of the introduction of border restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic on the intensity of tourist traffic in European reception countries. The article uses two indicators of the intensity of tourism - Defert's index and Schneider's index. The analysis of the indicators was based on the division of countries due to border control (A countries - partial border closure, B countries - PCR test or quarantine, and C countries - complete border closure for foreign tourists). Based on the research results, it was found that the changes in border crossing were important only in the initial period of the pandemic, later they were not of great importance and the values of both Defert and Schnieder indicators did not differ from those in the pre-pandemic period (i.e. the same period in 2019). The study also indicated that the largest drops in the values of the Defert and Schneider indexes were recorded in Austria and the Czech Republic, i.e. countries with different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The largest drops in tourist traffic intensity indicators were recorded in countries where the obligatory PCR test and quarantine were introduced. The article fills the research gap and is intended to help the governments of various countries in the future to find the most optimal solution in the context of fighting future epidemic waves.