(Zhong Yun/Interview Report) Many governments have recently re-introduced relevant travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the epidemic, which has drawn criticism from the tourism industry. Some industry experts said that after the epidemic in the spring of 2023, the outbound travel market will recover strongly again.
After opening up to the international tourism market last year, the Thai government has announced that it will reimpose entry restrictions on all foreign citizens. Starting today (9th), all foreign tourists over the age of 18 entering Thailand must present a new crown vaccine certificate or a new crown recovery certificate within the past six months. Unvaccinated travelers must present a letter from a doctor explaining why they were not vaccinated. In addition, passengers entering the country must also hold health and medical insurance. Some experts pointed out that this is a measure introduced to prevent a new wave of epidemics when China reopens its borders, but this policy is not only for Chinese tourists.
Recently, more and more countries, such as the United Kingdom and Italy, have put forward relevant requirements such as testing again after the relaxation of travel restrictions, and the tourism market that has just moved forward steadily on the road to recovery is facing development pressure again. For example, related reports pointed out that many Indian tourists who originally planned to visit Thailand have begun to cancel their scheduled flights. If Thailand wants to reach the goal of more than 300,000 Chinese tourists visiting Thailand in the first quarter of this year, it also needs to face greater challenges. The tourism industry has also expressed strong opposition to the restrictive regulations imposed by many governments. Previously,Willie Walsh, President of the International Air Transport Association (IATA)That is to say, over the past three years, such knee-jerk blind measures have proven ineffective, so governments should heed the advice of experts, including the World Health Organization, and not resort to cutting off international connectivity, destroying economies and destroying jobs. Ineffective measures.
Julia Simpson, President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)He also said that in 2019, Chinese tourists from all over the world contributed 253 billion US dollars to the global economy, created employment opportunities and promoted the development of the regional economy. The reopening of Chinese tourism is very good news. The knee-jerk travel restrictions show that governments remain ignorant of how the virus spreads and are still ignoring the World Health Organization’s advice that border restrictions won’t stop the virus from mutating or spreading around the world.
but,Alex Jarman, Senior Analyst, Travel, Euromonitor InternationalIt is said that although many countries have introduced travel restrictions again due to the consideration of the epidemic situation this winter, starting from the spring of 2023, the outbound travel market is expected to grow strongly again. With China’s cancellation of travel quarantine requirements, Asia will be the first region to benefit in 2023, while Europe and other places still have to wait for the return of Chinese tourists.