After months of being locked indoors, millions of people simply want a break in the sun.
The travel industry is desperate to welcome tourists back after a catastrophic 2020, which saw an estimated global loss of $1.3 trillion.
The European Commission is attempting to coordinate travel’s restart, pinning its hopes on a digital travel certificate which will prove if passengers are vaccinated, have tested negative or recovered from the coronavirus as a way of allowing people to safely travel.
But that’s not going to be ready until June. In the meantime, is there anywhere to go beyond the four walls of the house?
If you’re in Belgium, the answer, of course, is no. There’s been a travel ban in place since January. The U.K. is lifting lockdown restrictions but anyone leaving England to go on holiday abroad faces a £5,000 fine. France has just gone into a third lockdown but travel to the rest of Europe, as well as a smattering of other countries is possible, although strongly discouraged (and in many cases, with a quarantine).
Elsewhere, the picture is a little sunnier.
Spain
Restrictions: Measures are by no means the loosest. Tourists visiting Spain from EU and EEA countries have to provide a negative test carried out at most 72 hours before landing in the country. Its government has also introduced a new rule that requires people to wear a face mask whenever they’re outdoors — including on the beach.
But dodgy tan lines aren’t deterring determined holidaymakers. Travel search engine SkyScanner says that Spain is the most popular destination among its West European users, primarily driven by Germans heading to Palma. Social distancing measures are in place and in some regions, bars and restaurants have limited opening hours and capacities.
Germany tightened its rules this week, requiring anyone traveling into the country to take a test on entry — affecting people returning from Spain. But it’s unclear if that extra hassle is going to have much of an impact. Bookings surged when Germany’s disease control center took Mallorca off its list of coronavirus risk areas.
COVID rate: The seven-day average is 153 new cases per 1 million citizens.
Complicating factors: While European travelers are free to travel to Spain, residents of the country are confined to their own region. That hasn’t gone down well.
The Maldives
Restrictions: According to TUI’s Berlin office, the Maldives is also attracting travelers with its promise of guaranteed sun. The tourist-friendly country has operated an open-door policy to travelers since July 2020, when the government announced that it would welcome all tourists with no restrictions.
The only requirement is that visitors provide a negative COVID test, taken up to 96 hours before travel. Non-tourists — like residents, those traveling for work, or returning students — are required to self-isolate for 10 days.
Social distancing measures are in place across the country, and mass gatherings, including parties, are banned in the capital’s Greater Male region, where a curfew is in place.
Tourism Minister Abdulla Mausoom has also said that the country is considering “vaxication” vaccination packages for visitors who want to explore and get inoculated at the same time. Hospitality workers have been among the first in the Maldives to get their jabs as the country puts tourism at the forefront of its recovery.
COVID rate: The seven-day average is 304 new cases per 1 million citizens. The rate has remained steadily high since a big spike in February.
Complicating factors: Mausoom also suggested he would remove the testing requirement for inoculated tourists, wading into the controversial debate on vaccine tourism. Travel bodies fear compulsory vaccinations could create a discriminatory system, something which the European Commission has said it wants to avoid with its “digital green certificate.”
Turkey
Restrictions: All international passengers 6 years and older are required to have a COVID-19 PCR test with a negative result taken at most 72 hours prior to their flight. They also have to fill out a health form on entry. Masks are obligatory and restaurants and cafes close for sit-down service at 7 p.m.
But in terms of accessibility, Turkey is one of the more promising options for travel; while most European air traffic has ground to a halt, there’s at least one flight a day to Istanbul from most European capitals, pushing Istanbul to the top of the Continent’s airport passenger traffic league table.
COVID rate: The seven-day average is 383 new cases per 1 million citizens.
Complicating factors: The rate of new cases has more than tripled in the last month.
Tanzania
Restrictions: Some travel agents are pushing Tanzania as a potential destination because of its bare-minimum restrictions. No quarantine is required on arrival, and travelers can enter the country without a PCR test. Tourists only have to go through a temperature scanner at the airport, according to official guidance. But the lax arrangements aren’t because the country has managed to shut out the virus — quite the opposite. There’s no official data on the current case rate but reports from international media say that hospitals are overflowing with patients with “COVID-like” symptoms. The country’s President John Magufuli, a COVID-denier, recently died of heart complications, although opposition politicians claimed he contracted the virus.
The reports say that the country is playing down the threat of the virus, so as not to stop tourists flocking. It appears to have worked, with many visitors making a beeline for the island of Zanzibar.
COVID rate: No data available.
Complicating factors: The fact that there’s no data available is pretty troubling.
Costa Rica
Restrictions: Measures aren’t quite as loose as Tanzania, but they’re still pretty lax. Costa Rica doesn’t have any testing or quarantine requirements, perhaps unsurprising for a country where foreign tourism makes up some 6.4 percent of the country’s GDP. Ministers last week urged local and foreign tourists alike to travel to the country during Easter week. But tourists do have to buy travel insurance which could cover accommodation and medical expenses in case they have to quarantine. Travelers also need to fill out a health pass before arriving.
Bars and casinos can currently operate at 50 percent capacity, while beaches are open from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
COVID rate: The seven-day average is 93 new cases per 1 million citizens.
Complicating factors: A low COVID rate, few restrictions and a government keen to welcome tourists, mean Costa Rica is perhaps one of the safest bets. However, it does have a pretty low vaccination rate. Only 4.4 percent of the population has received at least one jab.
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