One is to require unvaccinated passengers to quarantine or undergo additional Covid tests.
The second is to ban them completely.
A small but growing list of tourist destinations either closes the door for unvaccinated travelers or opens only for the vaccinated. In any case, the unvaccinated see their travel opportunities begin to decline as tourism-dependent countries prioritize security and simplified entry requirements over open door policies for all.
Unvaccinated people are no longer welcome
When Anguilla reopened last November, travelers to the small Caribbean island had to test negative for Covid-19 before and after arrival. Then, in April, a sudden new case occurred, and Anguilla closed its borders to tourists again for a month.
From next week, unvaccinated passengers will not be allowed to enter Anguilla.
Michael Runkel | Mixed Collection: Items Getty Images
Now, British overseas territory is changing tactics. From July 1, visitors must be vaccinated at least three weeks before arrival. This applies to “all visitors … who qualify for vaccination,” according to the Anguilla Tourist Board website, which says that children are exempt from the requirement.
Vaccinated passengers will no longer need to quarantine, take a Covid test on arrival or pay for tickets. Earlier this year, vaccinated passengers were charged $ 300, while unvaccinated visitors were charged $ 600.
Cases are rising, tolerance is falling
Anguilla is not the only Caribbean island that closes its doors to unvaccinated travelers. The double island state of St. Kitts and Nevis introduced a similar policy last month.
From May 29, St. Kitts only accepts passengers who have been vaccinated with American or European vaccines. The new rule was part of several initiatives announced by Prime Minister Timothy Harris in response to a set of 16 Covid cases discovered on the islands last month, according to the St. Louis Tourist Board. Kittsa.
A set of 16 new Covid cases in May resulted in St. Kitts and Nevis closed their borders to unvaccinated travelers.
Walter Bibikow DigitalVision | Getty Images
“The previously announced travel conditions for unvaccinated passengers are null and void,” says a a statement announcing a change in policy.
The islands are under 6pm daily curfew, and tourist spots are closed until June 26th. A timeline for reopening to unvaccinated tourists has not yet been set.
Unvaccinated children traveling with vaccinated parents can also enter, although they must “rest on the spot” for 14 days, instead of the nine days required for vaccinated tourists.
Anguilla and St. Kitts and Nevis consider the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be the level 1 destination of Covid’s lowest level. CNBC labeled both as such in March among only a few tourist destinations that have opened up keeping the Covid infection rate low.
A ‘compelling reason’ to travel
Other locations require unvaccinated visitors to show that they are traveling for reasons they no longer need to rest.
When French Polynesia, which includes the islands of Tahiti and Bora Bora, reopened on May 1, it singled out Americans as the only nationality that could enter for tourism purposes. The policy also applied to unvaccinated Americans, although they were quarantined without immunization.
That has changed since then. As of June 16, vaccinated tourists can enter if they have spent the previous 15 days in the United Kingdom, most of the French territories or the French “green zone” countries, according to the marketing organization of the French Polynesian destination. The “green zone” countries currently include most of Europe, plus countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States.
France’s “green” list of countries
Much of Europe, plus Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States
Source: French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, updated June 17
Everyone else – including all unvaccinated travelers – must show a “compelling reason” related to health, family or work to travel to French Polynesia.
“Tourism is not a compelling reason to travel,” he says Tourist site of Tahiti.
French politics is a little more relaxed. Allows unvaccinated travelers from “green” countries to enter through a negative Covid test. However, travelers from the “orange” countries – which is any country that is not on the green or red list, ie. Most of the world – must be vaccinated to enter or show “pressing” for travel, according to website of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
French collections Barts and St. Martin in the Caribbean reopened this month with a similar policy. Nils DuFau, President of the St. Barts, separately announced that St. Barts open to vaccinated Americans starting June 9th.
St. Barts opened its borders to vaccinated U.S. travelers on June 9th.
Walter Bibikow DigitalVision | Getty Images
Spain went a step further. From June 7, Spain welcomes travelers from Europe and Europe those from a list of 10 countries with low covid feet; all other tourists they must show vaccination certificates to enter.
Note: The lists of countries from France and Spain are similar. However, the United Kingdom is currently on the Spanish list, while the United States and Canada are not.
An act of balancing
Tourism-dependent countries, such as those in the Caribbean, must balance the economic impact of welcoming tourists with the safety of their citizens, said Tim Hentschel, co-founder and CEO of hotel reservation company HotelPlanner.
“I can only imagine how challenging these talks must be between infectious disease experts in the country who advise stricter policies than the head of tourism who advocates that everyone be let in right away so that the economy is not thin,” he said.
Hentschel said that while 13 Caribbean nations are sovereign, French territories like Martinique and Guadeloupe and Dutch territories like Curacao, Aruba and Sint Maarten could end up following state policy.
Hentschel called Asia a “completely different story,” mostly because of the lower vaccination rate.
Vaccinated travelers from some countries will not have to be quarantined in Phuket, Thailand from July 1.
Jordan Siemens Stone | Getty Images
“As soon as there seems to be progress, there is a new outbreak and lock, as in Singapore, “he said.” Asia’s journey back to the semblance of normal travel before a pandemic will be much longer – unfortunately maybe another year or more. “
Asian destinations have stopped requiring vaccination for travel, but the continent is still largely closed to leisure visitors. The often-discussed model – the “Phuket Sandbox” – that the popular island of Phuket is due to reopen on July 1, before the rest of Thailand, waives quarantine requirements for vaccinated travelers. from low to medium risk countries.
Unvaccinated passengers can still enter, even though they are subject to 14-day periods of isolation, the CNBC Tourism Administration of Thailand confirmed.
While the requirement to vaccinate tourists in some places is “perfect sense,” it won’t work everywhere, Hentschel said.
“Interestingly, Mexico never closed its border to American tourists throughout the pandemic,” he said. “So that’s one example where a more open policy made sense for Mexico given its proximity to the U.S., the billions of cross-border shipping and trade that are conducted on a daily basis and their reliance on U.S. tourism dollars.”
Editor’s note: The U.S. land borders with Mexico are closed for unimportant travel in March 2020 and will remain restricted until at least July 21st. However, air traffic between the two countries was open throughout the pandemic.
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