World travel situation improves

My last air travel was from Dubai in early February. We actually had second thoughts about going to the Middle East because of the mounting tension from the US airstrike that killed Iran’s top security and intelligence commander. We had also heard of stories of people who got the coronavirus, but the incidents were few and largely unconfirmed. Nevertheless, we wore face masks just to be sure. At that time, wearing a mask was still optional.

That was seven months ago. When my next travel will be, only time can tell, but what I’m sure of is that leisure travel is out of the question, maybe until I have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

Travel restrictions have largely eased up. According to the UN World Tourism Organization’s seventh edition report titled “COVID-19 Related Travel Restrictions: A Global Review for Tourism”, around 53 percent of destinations around the world have started easing travel restrictions introduced in response to the pandemic.

The report noted that while many remain cautious in view of due to the pandemic, there is an inclination to gradually restart tourism activities.

Analyzing restrictions up to Sept. 1, the research carried out by the UN specialized agency for tourism discovered that a total of 115 destinations, or 53 percent of all destinations worldwide, have eased travel restrictions, an increase of 28 since July 19. Of these, two have lifted all restrictions, while the remaining 113 continue to have some restrictive measures in place, the report said.

According to UNWTO secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili, coordinated leadership and enhanced cooperation between governments means tourism is slowly, but steadily restarting in many parts of the world, adding that the easing of restrictions in travel opens the doors for tourism’s social and economic benefits to return.

He said that “while we must remain vigilant and cautious, we are concerned about those destination with full travel restrictions, especially where tourism is a lifeline, and economic and social development are under threat.”

The report showed that destinations which have eased travel restrictions generally have high or very high levels of health and hygiene infrastructure and tend to have comparatively low COVID-19 infection rates. Within advanced economies, 79 percent of tourism destinations have eased restrictions, while in emerging economies, just 47 percent of destinations have done so, the report said.

The same report revealed that 64 percent of travel destinations which have eased restrictions have a high or medium dependence on air as a mode of transport for international tourism arrivals.

The UNWTO report disclosed that many destinations around the world are extremely cautious about easing travel restrictions they introduced in response to the pandemic, while some have passed severe measures to keep their citizens safe. The report said that 93 destinations, or 43 percent of all worldwide destinations, continue to have their borders completely closed to tourism, of which 27 had their borders completely closed for at least 30 weeks.

The report added that more than half of all destinations with borders completely closed to tourism are classified as being among the world’s most vulnerable countries. They include 10 small island developing states, one least developed country, and three land-locked developing countries.

Meanwhile, more than half of destinations with full restrictions still in place are highly dependent on aviation, with at least 70 percent of their tourist arrivals coming by air, causing significant connectivity impact for their citizens and economies, the report stated.

It may, therefore, take some time before people feel safe to travel. Essential travel may pick up, but leisure travel will have to wait.

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