Summer is the traditional peak tourist season for most countries in the world. Due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, many countries have almost no grain in the summer of 2020. With the arrival of the summer of 2021, many countries that rely heavily on tourism Don’t want to wait any longer.

For example, Thailand’s Phuket Island plans to reopen to foreign tourists on July 1; Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced a few days ago that Indonesia plans to open its popular destinations Bali and Batam to international tourists in July if the epidemic control reaches the desired effect. It is hoped that these areas will lead to the recovery of the tourism industry in Indonesia; and another major resort, Mauritius, also announced that it will be open to international tourists from July 15th.

It is worth noting that these places have set their opening dates in July. Some analysts believe that they all hope to get a share of this year’s summer tourist season, so as to restore the early layout of the tourism market after the epidemic.

According to a report issued by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in early June, the number of international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2021 has dropped by 83% compared with 2020 due to travel restrictions in most destinations, but tourist confidence is slowing restore.

$1 accommodation plan to attract tourists

On the 8th local time, Thai Prime Minister Prayut announced after the weekly cabinet meeting that the Thai government 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 pilot in Phuket is successful, Thailand is expected to further open up other tourist destinations. Before the arrival of international tourists, a universal vaccination plan was implemented on the island, and more than 70% of residents have completed the new crown vaccination.

Regarding entry requirements, the Thai government stated that foreign tourists who have been vaccinated against the new crown can be exempted from compulsory isolation. After entering the country, Thailand has gradually expanded the scope of activities for tourists. On the 4th to 5th day after staying in Phuket, tourists are required to undergo a nucleic acid test. Tourists who test negative can extend the tour to the three surrounding areas of Phuket. After staying in Phuket for at least 7 days, tourists will be allowed to travel to other places in Thailand.

Before the epidemic, 80% of Phuket’s economic income came from tourism, and the impact of tourism stagnation on the island’s economy can be described as devastating. In order to attract international tourists and revitalize the local tourism industry, the Thai government even launched a “$1 per night” hotel accommodation plan in Phuket, where tourists stay in Phuket hotels for only $1 (about 6.46 yuan) per night. The price difference is borne by the government.

Although Thailand will reopen its doors to international tourists, the recovery of tourism will still be a slow process. Yuthasar, director of the National Tourism Administration of Thailand, revealed that 129,000 international tourists are expected to travel to Phuket from July to September. In general, the Thai government expects that only 500,000 foreign tourists will visit this year, and in 2019 before the epidemic, Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million overseas tourists.

According to the analysis of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the tourism industry in Thailand is not expected to fully return to normal until 2026. Thailand is one of the countries with the highest dependence on tourism in the world, with more than 7 million tourism practitioners.

European countries are also acting

Not only Southeast Asia, but European countries such as Greece and Portugal, which are highly dependent on tourism, have also made preparations early to open their borders one after another to welcome the arrival of summer tourists.

From May 15th, Greece has allowed foreign tourists who have received the new crown vaccine or a negative nucleic acid test certificate to be exempted from entering the country in isolation. Portugal has resumed accepting tourists from most European countries since May 17, and requires these countries to meet the requirement of no more than 500 new confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants within 14 days. Spain will lift travel restrictions on 10 non-EU countries, including South Korea and the United Kingdom, starting May 24.

The European Tourism Commission stated in the announcement: “After a gloomy year, we are very optimistic about the summer of 2021. The vaccination has played a role in blocking the spread of the virus, and Europe is actively preparing for the restart of the tourism industry this summer. ”

At the same time, the EU will begin to implement the “New Crown Pass” on July 1 to facilitate the free movement of citizens of EU member states within the EU. Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Legal Affairs of the European Commission, said that the implementation of the “New Crown Pass” is good news for citizens of all EU member states and can ensure that people are in a state of “complete health and safety”. Move freely, summer travel will become possible. This plan will also strongly support economic sectors such as the transportation industry that relies on free movement.

For countries and regions outside the European Union, the European Union has formulated a “safe travel white list” based on its epidemic control situation, recommending that member states gradually abolish entry restrictions on people from these countries and regions. Tourism is one of the pillar industries in Europe. Statistics show that in 2019, Europe received 745 million international tourists, accounting for about half of the world’s total. 10.3% of the EU’s economy comes from the tourism industry. The tourism industry accommodates more than 27 million jobs, accounting for approximately 11.7% of the EU’s total employment. One out of every 10 non-financial enterprises in the EU belongs to the tourism sector.