When will international tourism resume? Can international tourism resume in 2021?

In recent years, international tourism has suffered an unprecedented depression due to the impact of the epidemic. Tens of millions of tourism practitioners are feeling anxious and anxious. They hope that the epidemic will dissipate as soon as possible and everyone can travel and shop freely around the world normally. , let me share with you the specific strategy guide.

What is the situation in the global tourism industry?

On March 20, 2021, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee announced that overseas spectators will be prohibited from entering Japan to watch the Olympic and Paralympic Games held this summer. , to prevent the possible spread of the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic.

On March 20, 2021, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Japanese government held a five-party meeting and announced that overseas spectators will not be allowed to enter Japan to watch. Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Since the epidemic situation in Japan and many countries is still very serious, all parties in Japan believe that it is impossible to guarantee that overseas people can enter the country in the summer, which also includes ticket holders of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, so in the end This decision has been made," Seiko Hashimoto, chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, said in a statement.

The COVID-19 epidemic has undoubtedly disrupted the rhythm of the global tourism industry. In Edirne, Turkey's northwest province, which borders Bulgaria, the local border town has long relied on the business opportunities brought by personnel exchanges between the two countries. However, since the outbreak of the epidemic in Turkey in March last year, tourists have been hard to find, and the economy has plummeted. Many shops They are all struggling to support themselves!

Recently, citizens of Vienna, Austria, have begun donating vegetables, fruits and other food to the horses of the sightseeing carriage, one of the local tourism features. According to reports, due to the impact of the epidemic, Vienna's tourism industry has suffered a huge impact, and the operation of sightseeing carriages, one of Vienna's most unique tourism projects, has also been deeply affected.

Data map: A duty-free shop in Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea has few customers. Photo by China News Service reporter Zeng Nai

In South Korea, the epidemic caused a sharp 80% drop in the number of international tourists, severely damaging its domestic duty-free business. The reason is that its duty-free shops are overly dependent on inbound tourists (data available) It is believed that foreign consumers in its duty-free shops account for more than 90% of the consumption). South Korea's duty-free shops, known as the "goose that lays golden eggs", suffered their first loss in 11 years of statistics. According to news on March 1, 2021, South Korea's two major duty-free shops will officially withdraw from the main terminal of Incheon International Airport due to difficulties in maintaining operations.

According to the "Travel Restrictions Report" released by the World Tourism Organization in early March, as of early February 2021, 32% of the world's destinations have completely closed international tourism services, with 69 ***, of which more than 38 destinations have been closed for at least 40 weeks. At the same time, 34% of destinations around the world are currently partially closed to international tourists.

"Opening the door to welcome guests"?

Many countries have come up with timetables for restarting the tourism industry

2020 will become "the worst year in the history of the tourism industry." In 2021, some countries began to explore new ways to "break the ice" for international tourism.

According to Greek media reports on March 23, the Greek Ministry of Culture decided to open 91 underwater ruins to diving enthusiasts for underwater sightseeing and photography activities. It is understood that these underwater ruins will be opened simultaneously after Greece restarts tourism in May 2021.

Tourism is Greece’s main source of income, 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 the recovery plan for the tourism industry in 2021 and will "open the door to welcome guests" on May 14.

Which tourists can enter the country? Sofia Zaharaki, Deputy Minister of Tourism of Greece, said that after the tourism industry resumes, Greece will provide services to those who have been vaccinated against the new crown vaccine, have developed antibodies, or have negative virus test results. The country is open to the third category of international tourists.

Thailand is one of the countries most dependent on tourism development in the world. According to Thailand's "World Journal", Phuket will submit a "reopening plan" to the Thailand New Crown Pneumonia Epidemic Management Center on March 26, hoping to achieve the goal of exempting vaccinated tourists from quarantine when entering the island from July.

In order to further boost the economy and promote the development of tourism, the Thai government announced that starting from April 1, the quarantine period for arrivals will be reduced from 14 days to 10 days. The activities they can engage in during the quarantine period have also been relaxed, allowing them to leave their rooms conditionally within designated times, go to the gym, use swimming pools and outdoor sports equipment, purchase food and merchandise, etc. However, the above activities must still be carried out within the isolation area.

According to previous reports, Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports plans to open five major tourist areas to foreign tourists in April, including: Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani and Chonburi. These are tourist areas popular with international tourists and will be the first to resume receiving foreign tourists as pilot projects.

In Northern Europe, the Icelandic Ministry of Health announced that Iceland will allow tourists who have received the COVID-19 vaccine from countries outside Schengen to enter the country from March 18 without undergoing COVID-19 testing and quarantine. Travelers must show proof of vaccination certified by the European Medicines Agency, but not for the Chinese and Russian vaccines.

In addition to Iceland, countries such as the Seychelles Islands on the east coast of Africa, Belize in Central America, Poland and Estonia in Europe have begun to provide new guidelines for travelers and announced exemptions for vaccinated travelers quarantine.

“Vaccine Passport” is here

Can international travel be taken on the go?

As the scope of global COVID-19 vaccination continues to expand, many countries are considering launching it "Vaccine passport" to ease the cross-border flow of people that has almost come to a standstill due to the epidemic, and to protect the restart of tourism and revitalize the economy.

What is a “vaccine passport”? A “vaccine passport” is not a real passport, but a voucher that records information such as COVID-19 vaccination to prove the vaccination status of people traveling across borders.

From March 22 to 26, Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, an Indonesian tourist destination, will receive the first dose of the new crown vaccine for all approximately 5,000 employees, hoping to welcome international tourists again as soon as possible. Photo by Ye Lu from China News Service

At present, the EU is still finalizing many details for promoting vaccine certification, including but not limited to the form of "vaccine passport", certification scope, validity period, etc., which will take at least 3 months. It is expected to be implemented.

In addition to the European Union, Russia, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore and other countries also plan to or have already launched “vaccine passports”.

However, the WHO is currently more cautious about “vaccine passports”. The WHO believes that holding a vaccine passport at this stage does not mean that travelers will be protected from the new coronavirus infection.

In addition, the effectiveness and validity period of the vaccine have not yet been specifically verified, especially since the virus is still mutating, which has led to a lot of wait-and-see attitudes.

According to reports, most of the countries currently actively promoting “vaccine passports” are popular international travel destinations, because “vaccine passports” are regarded as a springboard to revitalize their tourism industries.

Can "vaccine passports" make international travel smooth? At present, many countries still remain cautious amid the instability of the epidemic.

On March 23, 2021, the British Prime Minister warned that the third wave of the epidemic must be prevented. (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 from the 29th, citizens will not be allowed to travel abroad "without justifiable reasons". Anyone caught doing so will be fined ￡5,000 and the regulations are valid until June 30.

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 the country. This ban will take effect on March 20 and will last for 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 starting from the 27th to prevent the spread of the mutant strain of the new coronavirus in the country. At the same time, the Argentine government will also strengthen control over Argentine people returning from abroad, while continuing to restrict the entry of foreign tourists.

In addition, the time cost of international travel is still high. Taking Thailand as an example, international tourists must first undergo a 10-day quarantine to ensure safety before they can travel freely on the island.

If the countries where these outbound tourists come from do not have loose prevention and control measures for immigrants, and they continue to be quarantined after returning home, the time cost will be higher, which will inhibit the enthusiasm of tourists to travel abroad.