China Overseas Chinese Network, May 19, title: "Amplify the trick" to stimulate tourism!

These countries have "opened their doors to welcome guests"...

　　With vaccination and more experience in epidemic prevention in various countries, international tourism has once again been put on the agenda.

　　As the summer vacation is approaching, many countries have introduced many measures to "open the door to welcome guests" in order to stimulate the recovery of the tourism industry. Which countries have brought good news?

Today, Xiaoqiao will take you to find out!

Spain: Balearic Islands launches "New Crown Insurance"

　　With the continuous development of new crown vaccination activities, the epidemic situation in Spain's Balearic Islands has stabilized. Tourism industry believes that it is time to welcome tourists to "return."

　　In order to give tourists more peace of mind, the Balearic Islands launched "New Crown Insurance."

Data map: Spain.

　　This insurance is designed to ensure that domestic and foreign tourists who unfortunately contract the virus on the island can stay in isolated hotels and receive treatment for free, and the return home (province) costs are also borne by the Balearic Islands.

If the tourist dies unfortunately, the funeral expenses are also included.

At the same time, insurance companies also provide English and German translations to avoid language barriers for overseas tourists.

　　It is reported that the Balearic Islands, a tourist destination that has thrived due to tourism in the past few decades, is now hit hard by the epidemic. Within a year, more than 3,000 tourism companies have closed down and more than 200,000 jobs have been affected.

Italy: Domestic vaccine passport will be used in late May

　　Italy will launch its own vaccine passport in late May.

Similar to the EU Vaccine Passport, the Italian Vaccine Passport will also contain information such as vaccination, whether it has been infected with the new crown virus or serological test results, and a negative certificate for the new crown test.

Data map: Italy.

　　The Italian Tourism Minister explained that the vaccine passport will be valid for everyone, "especially non-EU tourists."

Holders can travel freely throughout Italy.

"U.S. and British tourists account for 30% of foreign tourists in Italy and spend the most."

　　At present, Italy has restarted its cruise ship business, and the open-air seating of bars and restaurants will also be open.

Peru: Inbound tourism is gradually recovering

　　The Peruvian National Chamber of Commerce in Cusco reported that Machu Picchu began receiving foreign tourists on May 10.

　　Eddie Cuellar, president of the association, pointed out that Machu Picchu was allowed to reopen with a passenger capacity limit of 40%, which is conducive to promoting the recovery of the tourism industry and resuming the reception of tourists from other countries.

Data map: Peru.

　　But Carlos Canales, chairman of the National Tourism Chamber, believes that the passenger capacity limit for Machu Picchu should be adjusted to 60% because it is a large open space.

He will also cooperate with other business and tourism chambers to carry out promotional activities to promote domestic tourism.

Greece: Launching "No Coronavirus" Island Service

　　Greece officially opened to tourists on May 15, allowing foreign tourists who have received the new crown vaccine or a negative nucleic acid test certificate to enter.

After months of blockade restrictions, Greece opened its museum this week.

Data map: Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece

　　At present, Greece is promoting new crown vaccination on many islands, with a view to vaccinating most island residents by the end of June.

The Greek government said that with the advancement of vaccination and the application of rapid new coronavirus detection methods, coupled with warmer weather and allowing outdoor activities, it means that tourists can travel safely.

　　However, given that travel throughout Europe is still restricted, Greek hoteliers expect that with the increase in the number of vaccinations, the Greek tourism industry will start to pick up from the end of June or the beginning of July.

Greece intends to restore the tourism industry this year to 40% of the 2019 level.

Russia: Development of "vaccine tourism"

　　Unlike other European countries, Russia has taken a different approach-the development of "vaccine tourism."

This new project is still under discussion and is temporarily only open to Russian citizens living in foreign countries.

　　It is reported that the minimum cost of "vaccine tourism" is 700 euros, and tourists can enter (play) Russia twice, each time for 3 days, in order to complete two doses of "satellite V" vaccination.

Data map: Moscow night view

　　In Malta, the initial booking of 38,000 tourists can get a traveler’s cheque of up to 200 euros, provided that they must be consumed locally.

If you spend in Gozo, the check amount can be increased by 10%.

In addition, tourists who stay in the local area for 3 nights can get a 30% discount on hotel fees.

South Africa: E-visa will be launched to more than ten countries

　　In order to promote the recovery of the tourism industry, the South African Ministry of the Interior plans to introduce electronic visas to 14 countries in 2021.

　　When submitting a report to the Parliament, the South African Ministry of the Interior stated that at the end of the fiscal year 2021/22, in addition to the four countries that have been identified as pilots, an effective electronic visa system will be introduced to 10 countries.

Data map: South Africa.

　　It is reported that in addition to China, India, Nigeria, and Kenya, the countries that have been approved to obtain electronic visas include Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mexico, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Philippines, and Pakistan.

Thailand: Phuket sandbox mode will be launched

　　The spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in Thailand adds variables to the "Phuket Sandbox Model" that is expected to be implemented in July.

However, the Chiang Mai tourism industry emphasized that the local area will start the sandbox plan on October 1 as originally scheduled, but it must first obtain enough vaccines for local people to vaccinate.

　　However, due to the limited number of vaccines in Thailand at this stage, they must be allocated to high-risk areas. The number of vaccines that can be supplied to Mae Rim and Mae Teng counties has not yet been confirmed.

　　The Chiang Mai sandbox model pointed out that all international travelers who have been vaccinated with the new crown pneumonia vaccine approved by the authorities will be exempt from isolation when entering Chiang Mai on October 1, but they must follow the guide rules when sightseeing in the local area and travel in designated areas and routes.

The target group is mainly tourists from the Asian market, and foreigners from China, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia are the main potential sources of tourists.

Data map: Phuket, Thailand.

　　Nowadays, although the new crown pneumonia vaccination has been launched in many places around the world, and many countries have also brought good news about inbound tourism, some experts have analyzed that there are still many uncertain factors in whether the tourism industry in various places can resume its former prosperity this summer. There are also difficulties.

　　In this regard, Xiaoqiao still wants to remind everyone that travel abroad must be cautious and think twice, because although many countries have relaxed cross-border travel, it seems that there is still a long way to go before "freedom of travel"...

　　(Reference materials: "Europe Times", Peru "Gazette", Thailand "World Journal", People's Daily Online, US "World Journal", etc.; Author: Yu Qi; ID: qiaowangzhongguo)