These Countries Have Eased Coronavirus Travel Restrictions: Restart Of Tourism Underway, U.N Reports

The responsible revival of tourism is underway around the world, according to a new report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) that shows that 87 out of 217 tourist destinations have eased #covid-19 related restrictions for international tourism.

According to the latest analysis by the U.N. agency monitoring global responses to the pandemic from the start of the crisis, 40% of all destinations worldwide have now eased restrictive measures, while 118 still have maintained closed borders.

Trending: responsible restarting

Their most recent outlook released Thursday and covering the world’s situation until July 19 “confirms the trend of a slow but continuous adaptation and responsible restart of international tourism.”

“At the same time, however, of the 87 destinations that have now eased travel restrictions, just four have completely lifted all restrictions, while 83 have eased them while keeping some measures such as the partial closure of borders in place,” the agency reports.

The four countries that have lifted travel restrictions for international tourism are Albania, Maldives, Serbia and Tanzania.

The latest edition of the UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report also shows that 115 destinations — 53% of all destinations worldwide — continue to keep their borders completely closed for tourism.

Complete country list

A complete overview of destinations, ranging from those that have eased or removed travel restrictions for international tourism to those whose borders remain closed, is here.

According to the UNWTO report, destinations with a higher dependency on tourism are more likely to be easing restrictions on travel: Of the 87 that have eased restrictions recently, 20 are Small Island Developing States (SIDS), many of which depend on tourism as a central pillar of employment, economic growth and development.

The report also finds that around half (41) of all those destinations that have eased restrictions are in Europe, confirming the region’s leading role in responsibly kickstarting tourism.

Six months have passed since, on 31 January 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern which resulted in an unprecedented global lockdown including the standstill of international tourism.

“As of 19 July 2020, a growing number of destinations have started to ease travel restrictions for international tourism, including the lifting of complete closure of borders. However, destinations worldwide continue to have in place other types of COVID-19 related travel restrictions which undergo constant adjustments in line with the evolution of the pandemic ,” reports UNWTO.

Overview

• 115 destinations (53% of all destinations globally) maintain borders fully closed to international tourism;

• 87 destinations (40%) have eased COVID-19 related measures for international tourism, in particular partial closure of borders;

• 41 of those destinations are located in Europe, including all 26 Schengen Member States;

• 20 are Small Island Developing States;

• 20 destinations are in the Americas; 15 are Small Island Developing States;

• 13 destinations in Africa;

• 10 destinations in Asia and the Pacific, including 4 SIDS;

• 3 destinations in the Middle East.

Among the 115 countries that have completely closed borders to international tourism, a majority (88) have been closed for more than 12 weeks, 37 are in Africa (70% of all destinations in Africa), 29 in Asia and the Pacific (63% of all destinations in Asia), 28 in the Americas (55% of all destinations in the Americas), 11 in Europe (20% of all destinations in Europe), 10 in the Middle East (77% of all destinations in Middle East).

“The restart of tourism can be undertaken responsibly and in a way that safeguards public health while also supporting businesses and livelihoods,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “As destinations continue to ease restrictions on travel, international cooperation is of paramount importance. This way, global tourism can gain people’s trust and confidence, essential foundations as we work together to adapt to the new reality we now face.”

Catastrophic costs of the pandemic

The cost related to the travel restrictions introduced in response to Covid-19 has historic dimensions. Earlier this week, UNWTO released its World Tourism Barometer report on the impact of the pandemic on tourism, both in terms of lost tourist arrivals and lost revenues.

The report’s data shows that already by the end of May, the pandemic had led to $320 billion in lost revenues, already three times the cost of the 2009 Global Economic Crisis. The barometer also shows a 56% year-on-year drop in tourist arrivals between January and May, which translates into a decline of 300 million tourists.

The near-complete lockdown imposed in response to the pandemic led to a 98% drop in international tourists in May from a year ago.

That massive loss of travel demand could translate into a loss ranging between 850 million and 1.1 billion international tourists in 2020, translating into $910 billion to $1.2 trillion in lost export revenues from tourism.

As a result, 100 to 120 million tourism-related jobs are at risk, in a context of global economic recession, UNWTO estimates.

Hope springs eternal

Tourism Experts expect international tourism to recover by the second half of 2021.

UNWTO also notes signs of a gradual and cautious change in trend, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly following the opening of borders across the Schengen Zone of the European Union on July 1.

“UNWTO calls for the need to reopen tourism in a responsible, safe and seamless manner, as travel restrictions are lifted. Restoring confidence and trust in the sector is crucial.”