Asian Tourism News —
Thailand to waive quarantine for vaccinated travellers from October
Thailand plans to waive its mandatory quarantine for vaccinated visitors to its capital Bangkok and top tourist destinations from October in a bid to revive a key industry battered by coronavirus travel curbs.
The new measure means easier access to hotspots such as Pattaya, Phang Nga, Koh Samui, Krabi and the capital Bangkok, deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisoranakul said, among 10 provinces that will welcome tourists with proof of vaccination against COVID-19 from Oct 1.
Thailand has since a year ago tightened visa processes and required all visitors and returning residents to undergo 14 days of quarantine in government-approved facilities.
The announcement comes as the resort island of Phuket prepares to open to vaccinated travellers in July in a pilot scheme for the broader plan. It is seeking to inoculate most of its residents before the reopening, and before mass vaccinations begin in the rest of Thailand.
Tourism a key source of income and jobs for Thailand. In 2019, it welcomed a record 39.9 million visitors who spent 1.91 trillion baht (US$61.32 billion).
The new plan could draw 3.5 million tourists this year, generating 298 billion baht in revenue, Traisulee said in a statement, adding that at least 70 per cent of residents in each of the 10 provinces must first be inoculated.
Thailand had until last month experienced only minor outbreaks and has been slow to procure and administer COVID-19 vaccines, with only 1.6 million doses used so far.
Health Minister Anutin Charnvirankul said he expects 10 million to 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be available in the second half of the year.
The rush to secure vaccines comes after Thailand was hit early last month by its biggest outbreak yet, which has seen its total cases more than double and deaths more than triple. – Reuters May 8 , 2021
Hong Kong, Singapore to launch air travel bubble
Hong Kong and Singapore said they would launch an air travel bubble in May, months after an initial arrangement that would allow tourists to fly between both cities without having to serve quarantine was postponed.
Flights will begin May 26. Visitors will not have to go through the quarantine as long as they fulfill the conditions of traveling within the air travel bubble.
Hong Kong and Singapore had previously announced the launch of an air travel bubble in November last year but shelved the plan days before it was to start after Hong Kong saw a surge in COVID-19 infections.
The air travel bubble comes as Singapore and Hong Kong seek to boost tourism amid the pandemic, which has seen various countries close borders and declining air travel.
Travelers from Hong Kong will need to be fully vaccinated two weeks prior to departing for Singapore, although this requirement will not apply to those going from Singapore to Hong Kong. They are also required to have spent 14 days in each city before traveling, with compulsory quarantine periods not counting toward this period.
Under the new arrangement, the air travel bubble would be suspended for two weeks if the seven-day moving average of local, untraceable coronavirus cases in either city exceed five. – AP
Maldives: 330,000 foreign tourists in three months
Monthly tourism arrivals have been on the upsurge in the Maldives, with more than 330,000 travelers visiting the country between January and March 2021 , local media reported.
Statistics from the Ministry of Tourism revealed that 109,585 travelers arrived in March; it increased from 96,882 tourist arrivals in February, and 92,103 tourist arrivals in January. A further 35,358 travelers have arrived in the country in the first 10 days of April.
The daily average for tourism arrivals has slowly increased every month from 2,971 in January, to 3,460 in February, and 3,535 in March. Twenty-three percent of the travelers came from India while 21 percent came from Russia.
Maldives temporarily shut its borders to tourism in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic and re-opened on July 15, 2020.
Maldives welcomed 500 thousand tourists in the year 2020 .
From Mekong Startups to Mekong Innovations in Sustainable Tourism
The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), the secretariat of the Tourism Working Group of the six national tourism organizations of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), has decided to change the focus and name of its “Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism” initiative.
Originally limited to only startups in the two categories of travel tech and travel social enterprises, the evolved “Mekong Innovations in Sustainable Tourism” (MIST) program will now focus on innovations in sustainable tourism, resilience, and climate change in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Nominations are open to any business entity, from startups to established corporates, from NGOs to governments, and from individuals to partnerships, coming from the six member countries of the GMS, as well as from all over the world if the initiative can be applied to driving sustainability and resilience in the Mekong Region.
Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of MTCO, said, “This is an important and significant step forward to continue to innovate our initiatives to stay relevant to the changing needs of the tourism industry, during and post the current COVID19 pandemic. Keeping our powerful MIST brand, the focus will be on innovative and creative projects and concepts driving sustainability and resilience to recover travel and tourism in the Greater Mekong Subregion.”
In the first quarter of 2021, MIST will invite nominations from startups, established companies, government organizations, NGOs, academia, media, as well as individuals, students, and partnerships. For an entry to be accepted it needs to be an operating initiative or project that drives sustainable tourism and resilience.
The MIST jury, made up of members of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG) and the Swiss-based Ecosystem builder Seedstars, will judge the final pitches during a hybrid MIST Forum planned for the second half of 2021 in Bangkok.
