With the increase of vaccination rates in many parts of the world, the epidemic situation has become stable, and the international tourism industry has also begun to show signs of recovery. Many countries or regions are eager to try to open restrictions on international tourists. All of us set the date of opening the door to welcome guests on July 1, hoping to get a share in the summer tourism market this year.
On the 13th local time, the South Korean government announced a new policy on quarantine measures for the entry of foreign vaccine injectors. The policy stipulates that from July 1, after completing vaccination in the same country outside the country and 14 days later, you can apply for exemption from entry quarantine when you go to South Korea. At present, this policy is mainly aimed at applying for entry for business, academic, public welfare or visiting immediate family members. In order to support the tourism industry, the South Korean government also announced plans to promote the “air tourism bubble” on the 9th. South Korea will speed up the signing of the tourism bubble agreement with the epidemic prevention security countries, and launch the tourism bubble mechanism as soon as July. In the early stage of introducing the tourism bubble mechanism, the government will only allow the people who have completed the vaccination to travel with the group, and limit the number of flights and the size of inbound people.
Thai Prime Minister Bayou said recently that the Thai Cabinet agreed in principle to reopen Phuket to foreign tourists on July 1. Phuket will become the first tourist destination in Thailand to officially resume receiving international tourists. If the Phuket pilot is successful, Thailand is expected to further open other domestic tourism destinations. In order to attract international tourists and revitalize the local tourism industry, the Thai government has launched the “one dollar a night” hotel accommodation plan. Tourists only need one dollar a night to stay in the Phuket hotel, which is about 6.4 yuan, and the difference is borne by the government. According to the Director of the National Tourism Administration of Thailand, 129000 international tourists are expected to visit Phuket from July to September.
Another tropical tourist resort in Southeast Asia, Bali, Indonesia, may also be opened in a similar way. Indonesian President Joko recently announced that Indonesia plans to open the popular destinations of Bali, Batam and Mindan to international tourists in July if the epidemic control achieves the expected results, hoping that these regions will lead the national tourism recovery.
EU uses “COVID-19 Pass” to boost the restart of tourism industry
With the gradual improvement of the epidemic situation in Europe, the EU is scheduled to fully use the “COVID-19 Pass” on July 1 to promote the flow of people within the EU. However, some countries with high dependence on tourism have already introduced various policies earlier to attract tourists and hope to revive the tourism industry.
On June 7, Spain opened its doors to tourists around the world who had been vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, hoping that the tourist flow would return and the tourism industry would be revitalized. Some citizens of countries with good epidemic control in Asian countries can enter China without negative test certificates. Europeans who have not been vaccinated can enter China with a negative certificate of nucleic acid test or a negative report of antigen test within 72 hours. It is reported that Spanish hotels have begun to try to attract tourists by reducing prices.
The Italian Tourism Federation recently said that with the gradual relaxation of epidemic prevention restrictions in COVID-19, it is expected that the number of tourists in Italy this summer will increase by 20% compared with 2020. According to Italian media reports, in order to attract tourists, some regions suggest to consider vaccinating foreign tourists. For example, Veneto, where Venice is located, advocates vaccination for foreign tourists, which can protect local people and promote tourism.
The European Tourism Commission expects that with the further easing of restrictions in Europe, the number of international tourists arriving in Europe will rise significantly this year. Based on 2019 before the epidemic, the number of international tourists is expected to decline by 46% this year, compared with 69% in 2020. However, the number of international tourists in Europe is expected to return to the pre-epidemic level by 2024.