Recover 2022: Which part of the world will take the lead?

Travel and tourism are set to recover. New research by the World Travel & Tourism Council shows that the industry is expected to generate  

North America

 

There are no quarantine restrictions for people traveling to the U.S., although travelers might be asked to show a negative result from a recent COVID-19 test (e.g., within 48 hours) before getting onto an airplane. Canada announced that it would open its border to fully vaccinated international travelers starting February 28 (Scherer, 2022). Inbound travelers still need a rapid antigen test, which is cheaper and can show results within minutes, instead of the traditional molecular test. 

 

Europe

 

Denmark, having an 81% vaccination rate, was the first E.U. country to lift all COVID-19 restrictions. According to a recent BBC update (2022), the U.K. is also in the phase of removing all COVID-19 restrictions starting as early as February. COVID tests have been waived for fully vaccinated travelers in the U.K., either before departure or on arrival. Furthermore, people in England will soon no longer need to self-isolate even if they have COVID symptoms or test positive. A few other European countries have also announced plans to ease their travel restrictions, especially for vaccinated travelers.

 

Central and South America

 

Dominican Republic removed all COVID-19 restrictions starting on February 16 (Hulme, 2022). Mexico and El Salvador have also removed entry requirements. 

 

Australia & New Zealand

 

Australia planned to reopen its border to leisure and business travelers with some restrictions starting on February 21, although the state of Western Australia, home to Perth, will not be open to either foreign or domestic tourists still (Pitrelli, 2022). New Zealand rolled out a five-step phased reopening plan, likely to welcome international travelers in July or after. Self-isolation for 10 days upon arrival is still required in New Zealand for vaccinated travelers. 

 

Asia 

 

The Philippines reopened its border in early February after a two-year ban on foreign travelers. In place of facility-based quarantines, vaccinated travelers are only required to self-monitor for seven days. Likewise, Bali, Indonesia, is now open to vaccinated international travelers. Other places like Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are also on the list of countries easing travel restrictions. 

 

Africa 

 

Morocco reopened for tourists on February 7 with strict measures (Fox, 2022). For example, travelers will need a vaccinated pass issued by the Moroccan government. They must also show a negative PCR test result taken within 48 hours from departure, plus other measures to pass the board and stay in the country. PCR test stands for “polymerase chain reaction” test, which is more reliable than antigen test but takes longer. 

 

All in all, countries are taking different measures as they slowly reopen for business and leisure travelers. Meanwhile, countries like China still hold a strict policy called “zero-COVID.” Travel and tourism activities will return to the places that open their borders sooner than those having zero tolerance for the coronavirus. 

Which country or countries will recover soon in 2022? For what reasons? 

Note: This article was first published in the Hospitality News magazine (Feb/Mar). The picture was downloaded from