China Overseas Chinese Network, March 26, title: When will international travel resume?
These countries are ready to "open the door to welcome guests"
As the new crown pneumonia vaccination has been launched in many places around the world, international travel has once again become a topic of concern.
At the same time, some popular international travel destinations are preparing to "open their doors to welcome guests."
What is the current state of the global tourism industry?
Can the "vaccine passport" praised by many countries make it easier to travel across borders?
Overseas spectators missed the Tokyo Olympics
What about the global tourism industry?
On March 20, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee announced that overseas spectators will be barred from entering Japan to watch the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held this summer, in order to prevent the possible spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
On March 20, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Government of Japan held a five-party meeting and announced that they would not allow overseas audiences to enter Japan to watch the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
"Because the epidemic situation in Japan and many countries is still very serious, all parties in Japan believe that it is impossible to guarantee the entry of foreigners in the summer, which also includes ticket holders for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, so this decision was finally made. "Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee Chairman Hashimoto Seiko said when reading the statement.
The new crown pneumonia epidemic has undoubtedly disrupted the rhythm of the global tourism industry.
Edirne, in the northwestern province of Turkey, borders Bulgaria. The local border town has long relied mainly on business opportunities brought about by the exchanges of people between the two countries. However, since the outbreak of the epidemic in Turkey last March, tourists have been hard to find, the economy has plummeted, and many shops Are struggling to support!
Recently, citizens of Vienna, Austria began to donate vegetables, fruits and other food to the horses of the sightseeing carriage, one of the local tourism features.
According to reports, due to the epidemic, Vienna's tourism industry has suffered a huge impact, and the operation of the sightseeing carriage, one of the most distinctive tourism projects in Vienna, has also been deeply affected.
Data map: A duty-free shop in Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea has a sparse passenger flow.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zeng Nai
In South Korea, the epidemic has caused its international tourist volume to drop by 80%, which has caused a severe blow to its domestic duty-free business. The reason is that its duty-free shops rely too much on inbound tourists (some data believe that its duty-free shops spend more than 90% of foreign consumers) , South Korea’s duty-free shop, known as the “goose laying the golden egg”, suffered its first loss in 11 years.
On March 1, 2021, the two major duty-free shops in South Korea will officially withdraw from the main terminal of Incheon International Airport, due to the fact that it is difficult to maintain operations.
According to the "Travel Restriction Report" issued by the World Tourism Organization in early March, as of early February 2021, 32% of the world's destinations have completely closed international travel services, a total of 69, of which more than 38 destinations have been closed for at least 40 weeks.
At the same time, 34% of destinations worldwide are currently partially closed to international tourists.
"Open the door to welcome guests"?
Many countries have come up with a timetable for restarting the tourism industry
2020 will be the "worst year in the history of tourism".
In 2021, some countries have begun to explore new ways to "break the ice" for international tourism.
According to Greek media reports on March 23, the Greek Ministry of Culture has decided to open 91 submarine relics to diving enthusiasts for underwater sightseeing and photography activities.
It is understood that these underwater relics will be opened simultaneously after the restart of tourism in Greece in May 2021.
Data map: The Acropolis of Athens, Greece, is reopened to the public.
Tourism is the main source of income in Greece, accounting for one-fifth of the national economy. However, due to the impact of the epidemic, the number of arrivals dropped sharply last year.
The Greek government recently announced a plan for the recovery of the tourism industry in 2021, which will "open the door to welcome guests" on May 14.
Who can enter the country?
Sofia Zahalaki, Deputy Minister of Tourism of Greece, said that after the tourism industry resumes, Greece will open its country to these three types of international travelers who have been vaccinated against the new crown, or who have developed antibodies, or who have tested negative for the virus.
Thailand is one of the countries most dependent on tourism development in the world.
According to Thailand's "World Daily" report, Phuket will submit a "reopening plan" to Thailand's New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic Management Center on March 26, hoping to achieve the goal of exempting vaccinated passengers from entering the island from July.
To further boost the economy and promote the development of tourism, the Thai government announced that the quarantine period for immigrants will be reduced from 14 days to 10 days from April 1.
Activities that can be engaged in during the isolation period are also relaxed, allowing them to leave the room conditionally within a specified time, go to the gym, use the swimming pool and outdoor sports equipment, and buy food and goods.
However, the above activities must still be carried out within the scope of an isolated place.
Data map: On March 13, local time, the Elephant Day celebration was held in Ayutthaya, Thailand.
According to previous reports, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand plans to open five major tourist areas to foreign tourists in April, including: Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani and Chonburi, all of which are popular among international tourists. The favorite tourist area will be the first to resume receiving foreign tourists as a pilot.
In Northern Europe, the Icelandic Ministry of Health announced that Iceland will allow visitors from countries outside the Schengen area to receive the new crown vaccine from entering the country from March 18, without the need for new crown testing and isolation.
Passengers must present a vaccination certificate certified by the European Medicines Agency, but vaccinations from China and Russia are not included.
In addition to Iceland, countries such as the Seychelles on the east coast of Africa, Belize in Central America, Poland and Estonia in Europe have begun to provide travellers with new guidelines and announced exemptions from quarantine for vaccinated travelers.
"Vaccine Passport" is here
Can international travel just leave it?
As the scope of global new crown vaccination continues to expand, many countries are considering launching a "vaccine passport" to ease the flow of cross-border people that has almost stalled due to the epidemic, and to escort the restart of the tourism industry and the revitalization of the economy.
What is a "vaccine passport"?
The "vaccine passport" is not a real passport, but a document that records information such as COVID-19 vaccination to prove the vaccination status of cross-border travelers.
From March 22 to 26, Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport, a tourist destination in Indonesia, will vaccinate about 5,000 employees with the first dose of COVID-19, hoping to welcome the arrival of international tourists as soon as possible.
Photo by Ye Lu issued by China News Agency
At present, the European Union is still determining a number of details for the promotion of vaccine certification, including not limited to the form of "vaccine passport", certification scope, and expiration date. It will take at least 3 months before it is expected to be implemented.
In addition to the European Union, Russia, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore and other countries also intend to or have already used "vaccine passports."
However, the WHO is currently more cautious about the "vaccine passport".
The WHO believes that holding a vaccine passport at this stage does not mean that travelers will be protected from the new coronavirus.
In addition, the effectiveness and validity of the vaccine have not been specifically verified, especially the virus is still mutating, which has led to a lot of wait-and-see attitudes.
According to reports, most of the countries that actively promote the "vaccine passport" are popular international travel destinations, because the "vaccine passport" is seen as a springboard to revitalize their tourism industry.
Can the "vaccine passport" allow international travel to flow unimpeded?
At present, many countries remain cautious under the unstable situation of the epidemic.
On March 23, the British Prime Minister warned against the third wave of epidemics.
(Screenshot of CCTV News Video)
According to the British "Times" report on March 23, according to the latest draft regulations announced by the British government, starting on the 29th, citizens who do not travel abroad "without justified reasons" will be fined 5,000 pounds, and the regulations will be valid until June 30. day.
The Philippine government announced on the evening of March 16 that in order to curb the rebound of the epidemic, the Philippines will temporarily ban foreign citizens and some overseas Filipinos from entering.
This ban will take effect on March 20 for a period of one month.
On March 25, local time, the Argentine government announced that it would suspend all flights from the country to Mexico, Brazil and Chile from the 27th to prevent the spread of variant strains of the new coronavirus in the country.
At the same time, the Argentine government will strengthen the control of Argentine people returning from abroad, while continuing to restrict the entry of foreign tourists.
In addition, the time cost of international travel remains high.
Take Thailand as an example. International tourists must be quarantined for 10 days to ensure safety before they can board the island for free activities.
If these outbound tourists’ countries do not have lenient measures to prevent and control immigrants, and continue to isolate themselves after returning home, the time cost will be higher, which will inhibit the enthusiasm of tourists to travel abroad.
When will the walk-and-go trip be realized?
At present, there are still difficulties.
(Reference: China News Agency, Global Times, Thailand "World News" Greece "Greece Times," surging News, CBN, news interface; Author: Han Hui; ID: qiaowangzhongguo)