Countries eager to reopen to travel as pandemic recedes
Around the globe, countries are taking different approaches for re-opening to travel after more than a year of virtual lockdowns in most of the world
May 26, 2021, 4:39 AM
8 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleA family enjoy their vacations at the pool of Nissi Blue hotel in southeast resort of Ayia Napa, in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, Saturday, May 22, 2021. Cypriot hotel and other tourism-related business owners say they'd like to see the COVID-19 pandemic-induced uncertainty over travel bookings to the tourism-reliant island nation winding down by July when they're hoping authorities in Cyprus' main markets including the U.K., Russia, Germany and the Scandinavian countries will make it easier for their citizens to travel abroad. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Countries reliant on tourism are racing to reopen borders and revive economies decimated by the pandemic.
The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates that the sector lost nearly $4.5 trillion and 62 million jobs last year. Airlines alone lost $126 billion last year and are on track to lose another $48 billion this year, according to their largest trade group.
The rollout of vaccines against COVID-19 is giving government officials in many countries new confidence to welcome visitors. But time is critical.
“Summer is a strong season for most markets, particularly Europe and the U.K. We really hope to see restrictions ease,” said Virginia Messina, interim leader of the World Travel & Tourism Council.
The patchwork of rules around the globe can be hard to follow for anyone planning a trip. Cyprus, for instance, has restrictions in place for countries deemed as higher risk, requiring arriving passengers to have a negative PCR test that’s valid 72 hours prior to their departure and to undergo a new test upon arrival. They also have to self-isolate in Cyprus until their test results are issued.
Constantinos Victoras, general manager of NissiBlu Hotel, situated near Ayia Napa’s famed white-sand beach, says even though the infection rate in Cyprus has dropped significantly in the last two weeks, it won’t be until late June when things will be clear enough for tour operators and airlines to ramp up bookings.
“Uncertainty is too great right now," Victoras said.
Agatha and Simon Godurkiewicz of Sweden, said they chose to holiday on the island out of fatigue with the pandemic, and that people simply want to get on with their lives and return to some semblance of normality.
“We’re tired of the virus situation,” said Agatha Godurkiewicz. “It was panic at the start of the pandemic but it’s become too much now.”
Here’s how different regions are trying to reopen to travel:
EUROPE
Europe has been opening slowly, testing the patience of Mediterranean countries that rely heavily on tourism, including Greece, Spain, and Turkey. That is changing now, as European Union ambassadors agreed last week to allow in visitors who are fully vaccinated or are from a now-expanded list of countries whose citizens are deemed to be safe.
EU member countries still have to approve the changes, and it’s not clear exactly when they would take effect.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Friday that Spain will let British and Japanese visitors enter the country starting Monday if they have been vaccinated and people from other countries, including the United States, on June 7.
Tourists are already beginning to show up in Greece after authorities there decided this month to accept vaccination and test certificates from the European Union and 21 other countries.
On the Greek island of Naxos, business owners began pulling tables and chairs out of storage, power-washing wooden decks and reopening once-jammed seaside tavernas.
“People here are optimistic and, indeed, there have been many bookings in the last two weeks,” Naxos Mayor Dimitris Lianos said. “There could be a significant comeback of the tourist season even in the latter half of the year. I dare to say it.”
