Photo By: Jovyn Chamb via Unsplash
One of the most important sectors in any economy is tourism. This took a significant knock during Covid-19, and depending on the country’s response to the Pandemic, the impact on this particular industry will be felt for many years to come.
There is a time for every season. Countries have been working hard to contain the virus and to reach herd immunity through intensive vaccination programmes. With global economies working hard to restore economic value, global tourism industries are awakening from their slumber.
India reopens for foreign tourists after 19 months as Covid ebbs
An article by Al Jazeera points out that the easing of restrictions on foreign tourists visiting India coincides with the country’s domestic tourist and festive season.
India has reopened to fully vaccinated foreign tourists travelling on chartered flights in the latest easing of its coronavirus restrictions as infection numbers decline.
The article adds that foreign tourists on regular flights will be able to enter India starting from November 15.
It is the first time India has allowed foreign tourists to enter the country since March 2020 when it imposed its first nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
It is unclear whether arriving tourists will have to quarantine but they must be fully vaccinated and test negative for the virus within 72 hours of their flight.
The article points out that the decision, announced earlier this month by India’s home ministry, comes as the country’s daily infections have dropped below 20 000 from a peak of 400 000 in May and more people have been vaccinated.
India has administered more than 970 million vaccine doses. Nearly 70% of the eligible adult population has had at least one dose.
The easing of restrictions on foreign tourists visiting the country, however, coincides with India’s domestic tourist and festive season. Already, it has prompted concerns by health officials who have warned against complacency.
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Cyprus to Introduce New Campaign to Revive Its Tourism Sector Amid Covid-19
And article by Shengen Visa Info points out that Cyprus’ Ministry of Tourism is attempting to revive its tourism sector, which has been profoundly affected by the Coronavirus situation.
In this regard, the country’s Tourism Minister, Savvas Perdios, is on tour in Europe in order to promote the country’s tourism industry, introducing a campaign that aims to attract international tourists.
The article points out that Perdios that the country is taking into account scheduled flights during the winter months despite the fact that the COVID-19 situation has provoked uncertainty, discouraging tour operators from chartering aircraft.
The Minister believes that the tourism sector’s performance during this year would be at 40 per cent compared to 2019 levels, mainly driven by international arrivals in the second half of this year.
“We are here campaigning to encourage airline companies to keep their connections with the island running and to convince tour operators to set up packages for Cyprus by buying seats on scheduled flights. On a second level, we are here to promote the country to people who chose to book their holidays independently,” the Minister pointed out in this regard.
The article adds that Perdios has stressed that during this winter and maybe until March, the primary traveller traffic to Cyprus will be focused on scheduled flights instead of chartered ones. The Minister has stressed that the strategy aims to attract visitors, “so it can be in a position to jump-start the tourism industry in early April,” while he hopes that the figures will come close to the pre-pandemic situation.
“What is important is that it appears we maintain a large percentage of scheduled flights – mainly from European Union countries. This means the winter advertising campaign is all the more important, and it entails spending more money compared with the summer when tour operators also contribute,” the Minister pointed out in this regard.
Economic boost
The reopening of international boarders comes at an opportune time for countries that are cash strapped and rely heavily on tourism to boost their economy.
India has long been a popular destination for British and other international tourists. The country is rich in culture and is bases its tourism on its position as a religious epicentre for the Hindu faith. Many Indians that form part of the diaspora have relatives that still live in India. The re-opening of boarders will be welcome news for those wanting to visit their homeland.
Like many islands in the Mediterranean, Cyprus’ tourism is based on its rich culture as well as the fair weather that welcomes visitors during the festive season.
South Africa has just been taken off the red list for the UK and the US. Like India and Cyrus, the South African tourism industry is hoping that it will return to pre-pandemic levels of activity relatively soon. But has the industry lost to much value to achieve this? Stay tuned to find out more.
