Many of the world’s destinations have already begun to relax travel controls due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
While many remain vigilant concerning the pandemic, the seventh edition of Covid-19 Linked Travel Prohibitions confirms the continued movement towards a steady restart of tourism. A World Tourism Review by UNWTO.
Research undertaken by the United Nations agency has found that the sum of 115 destinations (53% of all destinations worldwide) have relaxed travel restrictions up to September 1st, an improvement of July 28th, 19th.
Two of these also abolished all restrictions, although specific stringent policies remain in force for the remaining 113.
UNWTO General Secretary Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Coordinated leadership and improved government-to-government coordination means that tourism has started slowly but steadily in many parts of the world.
“Looking at relaxing travel restrictions also opens the doors to tourism’s social and economic advantages.
“We need to be alert and careful, but we are worried about those destinations with complete travel restrictions, especially in the lifelines of tourism and where economic and social growth is in danger.”
The related travel restrictions study of Covid-19 for the first time, provides crucial details on the health and hygiene systems in place in countries, thus evaluating the warning rate of new cases in Covid-19.
This enables UNWTO to evaluate the factors that affect the decisions of destinations to ease restrictions.
In particular, the report shows:
High or too high standards of health and hygiene facilities are accessible in destinations with limited travel restrictions. They also appear to have relatively low infection rates of Covid-19.
Seventy-nine percent of tourism destinations in advanced economies have already eased restrictions. Just 47 percent of destinations in developing markets have done so.
About 64 percent of those popular destinations are high or medium dependent on-air as an international transport mode.
Around the same time, the study reveals that many destinations worldwide are highly wary about relaxing their travel bans in response to the pandemic, and others take drastic steps to ensure the welfare of their people.
Ninety-three destinations (43% of all destinations worldwide) are currently entirely closed to visitors, with 27 closed for at least 30 weeks.
Source: UNWTO
