It's been a surreal two years for travel. The COVID-19 pandemic brought aviation to a halt, shuttered doors to hotels, museums and convention centers and turned once bustling tourist destinations from Paris to Phuket into ghost towns. Who can forget seeing those eerie photos of Italy's piazzas being blasted with disinfectant as the country became one of the first European nations to lockdown? Or what about those aerial shots of scores of aircraft grounded at airports that once teamed with activity? Then there were the images of the world gradually reopening last summer; customers wearing hats adorned with swimming pool noodles at a German cafe to help maintain social distancing and masked visitors lining up to see the Mona Lisa. Later, there were the tourist attractions that sprang up directly from the pandemic; flights to nowhere that swept over Australian landmarks before turning back round again to Sydney, or boat tours that took passengers out to admire the hulking ships anchored, inactive, off England's South Coast. Travel has been totally transformed by the pandemic and is still in a state of flux, although international might loosen up. Recent news indicates there might be welcome changes in that sphere but first, let’s take a look at the numbers.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency charged with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As one of the leading international organizations in the field, the agency promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability. They also offer leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide. UNWTO recently released an impact statement on the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on international tourism. Their preliminary estimates show it only experienced a 4 per cent increase in 2021. There were 15 million more international tourist arrivals last year compared with 2020 but the numbers were still 72 per cent below the pre-pandemic year of 2019. The uplift in demand was driven by increased traveler confidence amid progress with vaccinations.
With that in mind, note the World Health Organization (WHO) delivered a new message to governments around the globe: You can’t stop the onslaught of the Omicron variant. Those weren’t the exact words the UN health agency used, of course. But, it was the essential message of the group's new position on international COVID-19 safety regulations. According to the WHO's just-revised advice, the world is now past the stage when blocking borders will do much good in stopping the virus. "The failure of travel restrictions introduced after the detection and reporting of the Omicron variant to limit international spread of Omicron demonstrates the ineffectiveness of such measures over time," reads new guidance dated January 26. The WHO's official policy now recommends that all national governments "lift or ease international traffic bans as they do not provide added value and continue to contribute to the economic and social stress experienced by States Parties."
As if on cue, several European nations have scrapped their entry requirements for visitors. Beginning on February 11, most tourists who enter the United Kingdom will need only their passports and vaccination cards. That’s right: No testing before the flight. No testing after entry. No quarantine. No other virus-related restrictions or added expenses. No vaccination pass required to go to restaurants or attractions, as is currently required just across the Channel in France. There’s a new day dawning in the United Kingdom. Getting into England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will be almost like the “before times.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently told the press, "It’s obvious to me now that border testing for vaccinated travelers has outlived its usefulness, and we’re therefore scrapping all travel tests for vaccinated people," Admittedly, he’s faced pressure for months to ease the restrictions. Airlines and travel companies blamed the testing and complicated rules for the slowness of a recovery in air travel over the summer and warned that far-reaching changes were needed or more job losses would follow the 100,000 that've already disappeared.
Fully vaccinated visitors from most Western countries, including the United States, won't have to do much more than carry their vaccination cards, which many people already do at home, and fill out the passenger landing card, which was a requirement in a different form long before COVID-19 came on the scene. Just two months ago, as the Omicron variant surged, Britain mandated preflight testing even for the vaccinated. But, now that the wave has crested, those barriers have been dropped. Unvaccinated visitors though will still have to jump through multiple hoops to help mitigate the risk they present. They will no longer have to retest eight days after arrival or self-isolate, but they will still have to show proof of a negative test taken two days before travel as well as submit to (and pay for) a test upon arrival. Children under 18 will not be subject to the regulations. Masks will still be required of everyone on public transit and in many shared indoor spaces. For the full entry rules to the United Kingdom, see the official information pages on Gov.uk. Britain's travel industry has been itching for this change. No sooner was it announced than VisitBritain, the country's official tourism booster, pulled the trigger on a £10 million (US $13.5 million) ad campaign to bring tourists back. Industry observers expressed excitement after the announcement was made.
At a meeting of the Irish Cabinet on Wednesday, January 5, the Government decided to revise travel rules for entry into the country. Ireland removed the requirement for vaccinated passengers to show a negative COVID-19 test before entering the country. The requirement for vaccinated passengers to show either a negative PCR or professionally administered antigen test was introduced late last year following concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant. Speaking following the Cabinet meeting, Micheál Martin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland, said the rule was no longer needed given the fact that the Omicron variant was now dominant in Ireland. He said it was not “necessary because Omicron now constitutes 96 per cent of all cases in the country.” The agreed changes went into effect the following day. Starting January 6, vaccinated or COVID recovered travelers only needed a Valid Digital COVID Certificate (or other acceptable proof) while those unvaccinated are still required to present a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before their arrival.
Switzerland dropped its requirement for a pre-travel PCR test on January 22, but only for fully vaccinated visitors. Those who can prove recent recovery from COVID may also visit without a pre-travel test. Most unvaccinated travelers remain barred - but the few who qualify for an exemption will still have to take a test prior to visiting the country, though they will no longer have to take post-arrival tests four to seven days after arrival. Unvaccinated children and teens under the age of18 are still able to enter Switzerland with vaccinated parents or guardians.The update were welcomed by families who stand to save hundreds on the additional tests, especially those wishing to visit Switzerland in its peak ski season.
But travel restrictions are not only easing in Europe. Tourists can soon visit the Philippines again for the first time in nearly two years. The country will lift a ban on the entry of foreign tourists and businesspeople this month after nearly two years, in a move to revive the battered tourism industry as the latest coronavirus outbreak started to ease, officials said at the end of January. Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said the country will reopen its doors to travelers from more than 150 countries with visa-free privileges starting February 10. Foreign travelers will no longer be required to quarantine in government-designated centers upon arrival if they have been fully vaccinated and tested negative prior to arrival, officials said. The government had initially planned to lift the ban on Dec. 1 but indefinitely postponed it as the more contagious Omicron variant spread, which also prompted authorities to reimpose tighter restrictions. The number of daily infections has dropped considerably in the capital in recent days. “We’re done with border control,” Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire told a news conference, adding that government focus has shifted to preventing community transmission of the variant, which has caused five deaths in the country so far.“We are also aware that there is no room for complacency given the unpredictability of the virus,” Puyat said. “We will closely monitor the situation and ensure that health and safety protocols are strictly implemented in all tourism establishments.” The number of tourists dropped by more than 6 million, and more than a million Filipinos lost their jobs in tourism businesses and destinations in the first year of the pandemic alone, according to government statistics. Tourism destinations, including popular beach and island resorts, resembled ghost towns at the height of pandemic lockdowns.
Closer to home, domestic travel to Puerto Rico just became simpler, as long as you’re full vaccinated. New entry requirements took effect last Wednesday when testing requirements were scrapped for fully vaccinated domestic travelers. On-island restrictions also eased, and capacity restrictions lightened up across a variety of businesses. In announcing the changes, Governor Pedro Pierluisi cited a drop in COVID-19 cases. Puerto Rico reported 1,727 new cases on January 27, just a fraction of the more than 14,000 daily cases it reported in early January, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
All of these changes beg the question: When will the US no longer require a negative COVID test to enter the country? On Thursday, a coalition of airline and travel groups urged the Biden Administration to remove the testing requirement for vaccinated travelers, arguing that such a move would help the travel and aviation industry recover roughly two years into the pandemic.“On behalf of the many sectors of the travel and aviation industries, we urgently request that the Administration remove the requirement for pre-departure testing for vaccinated passengers traveling to the United States,” the groups wrote in a letter to White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients. According to surveys of air passengers cited in the letter, pre-departure testing requirements are one of the top factors that dissuade individuals from traveling internationally, as some travelers are reportedly nervous they will be barred from returning to the US if they test positive in a foreign country. Will the administration change its stance? We’ll see, but I’d bet they do so closer to the midterms when political capital is more clearly on the table.
Until next time…safe travels.
Nice overview George - maybe your Cruise this year could be back-on???