India decided to open its doors to make money and reopen them to foreign tourists. Dare you go?

On Thursday, the Indian government announced that it would start issuing tourist visas to foreign tourists 18 months after the suspension due to the COVID-19 epidemic. According to the press release issued by the Indian Ministry of Interior on the same day, visitors arriving in India by chartered flight will be able to do so during the period from 10 to 15. The agency said that other immigrants will be allowed to enter the country from 165438+ 10/5. At present, according to the data of Johns Hopkins University, nearly 450,000 people in COVID-19 have died and more than 33.89 million people have been infected in this country, while only 18.63% of the population in China has been fully vaccinated. Experts also warned that India may encounter another wave of epidemic.

1, India decided to open its doors.

In recent months, India has tentatively reopened to tourists with business, diplomatic or student visas. According to the press release, "foreign tourists, airlines bringing them into India and all other stakeholders at landing stations should abide by all appropriate protocols and specifications related to coronavirus pneumonia-19 notified from time to time by the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare."

According to official Indian data, India welcomed 106 million foreign tourists in 20 19 years before the outbreak. From 2065438 to 2008, tourism earned $28.6 billion. Earlier this year, India was the global center of the coronavirus pneumonia-19 epidemic. In April and May this year, this country with a population of 654.38+0.3 billion suffered a wave of severe coronavirus infection, with about 400,000 cases and 4,000 deaths every day. According to official data, in about 10 weeks, more than 200,000 people died and hospitals were overcrowded. It is generally believed that this figure is underestimated.

This surge is attributed to new virus variants and the government's premature lifting of restrictions to allow large-scale sports events and religious festivals to be celebrated. However, in recent weeks, the number of new cases has greatly slowed down to about 20,000 cases per day, with 200 to 300 deaths. At present, according to the data of Johns Hopkins University, there have been 449,856 deaths from coronavirus pneumonia and 338,94312 deaths in this country. Up to now, 18.63% of the population has been fully vaccinated. However, experts warn that India may suffer another wave of epidemic.

Previously, India was closed for more than a year due to the coronavirus epidemic. This country, which is famous for its Taj Mahal, desert palace, tiger reserve, elephants and beaches, imposed a strict blockade when the COVID-19 outbreak broke out in March 2020, banning all foreign tourists from entering the country. However, after the surge of cases of coronavirus pneumonia-19 earlier this year, the number of cases dropped sharply. Under the pressure of the industry as an important pillar of the economy, the relaxation was announced on Thursday. India initially banned all foreigners from entering the country. Restrictions on businessmen, diplomats and others are gradually relaxed, but the border is still closed to vacationers.

2. India's economy is in recession.

Affected by the epidemic, India's economy suffered one of the worst recessions among major economies, with the largest decline in output since independence, and millions of people fell back into poverty. In particular, the first blockade in March last year was a disaster, leaving tens of millions of workers in the informal economy unemployed almost overnight. According to government data, tourism is an important sector of the third largest economy in Asia, and the country received10.93 million tourists in 20 19.

Before the outbreak, the industry accounted for about 10% of the Indian economy. Mr Rajiv Mehra, President of india tourism Operators Association, welcomed Thursday's announcement. In a statement, he said, "This is very encouraging news for the tourism industry. We hope that inbound tourism will start to a certain extent, so that stakeholders in the tourism industry can breathe a sigh of relief. "

Global cross-border tourism has stumbled back.

Tourism in Europe and the United States began to recover, the World Tourism Organization said on Monday. In July, about 54 million tourists crossed the international border, the highest level since April 2020. Compared with the level in July 2020, this figure has increased by 58%, but it is still 67% lower than that in July 20 19. Compared with 20 19, the number of international tourists decreased by 80% in10-July this year.

The UN agency said it expected a "rebound" in 2022, although the global tourism industry was not expected to reach the pre-epidemic level until 2023 or 2024. Indonesia also announced on Monday that the resort island of Bali will be open to international tourists next week, while Thailand said on Saturday that vaccinated tourists from any country can now book their holidays in the tourist paradise of Phuket. Maldives has been open to tourists since July 2020, but it has been suspended. Last month, Sri Lanka was fully open to vaccinated tourists.