In March, the Spanish authorities announced that by June a digital green certificate will be operational, allowing tourists to enter the country, including Ibiza, Mallorca and the rest of the Balearic islands. Spain’s general secretary of Digital Health, Information and Innovation has announced that recently-developed COVID-19 passports — officially recognised as Digital Green Certificates — will allow EU residents to enter the country without coronavirus testing or quarantine
In a press conference on the national television, Spain’s tourism minister Reyes Maroto said that the certificates would allow Spain to “reopen safely” and be “pioneers” in global tourism following the coronavirus pandemic, as well as providing “safe mobility” for tourists.
Last weekend Europe saw new protests against health safety restrictions.
Hundreds of maskless people gathered in the northern Swiss town of Schaffhausen, despite the government disapproval: the town authorities insisted on cancelling the demonstrations, citing potential violation of health safety measures.
In Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, protesters briefly blocked the street where the country’s Parliament is situated. The primary grievance communicated to the authorities was the non-existent access to COVID vaccines in the country.
“Travelers to Maldives (including tourists) who have completed their two doses of Covid-19 vaccination (recognised by WHO) 2 weeks prior to travel are now exempted from the pre-arrival Negative PCR requirement and do not require to undergo or observe the travel quarantine on arrival to the Maldives”, reads the statement from the Ministry of Tourism.
To enter the country visitors must have a negative PCR test certificate in English, made no earlier than 96 hours before the arrival. In addition to this, all travellers to the Maldives must submit a Health Declaration Form by uploading it to the immigration service website no more than 24 hours before departure.
The Maldives, after closing their borders in March 2020, were among the first to reopen them to foreign travellers.
Italy, one of the worst affected by COVID-19, made tourists happy this week by announcing it may start reopening borders on June 2.
What this news means is that international tourism is on its way to full recovery despite the third wave of the pandemic. There will only be one requirement — the person must be fully vaccinated.
Germany seeks talks with Russia about procuring Sputnik V supplies. This goes against the sentiment of the EU in regards to the Russian vaccine.
Japan considers bringing in four-day week.
Japan’s government is considering bringing in a four-day working week aimed at improving people’s quality of life, the country’s Chief Cabinet Secretary has said.
The authorities intend to consider the introduction of a ‘selective three-day weekly holiday system’.
Economists hope that the scheme would also boost the country’s tourism industry that has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The country’s Tourism Ministry reveals positive data about the recovery of international tourism to the island nation.
According to the ministry, in March 2021, Dominican Republic saw 263 857 foreign visitors, which is 56% more than in February 2021, and 3.4% more than in March 2020.
“The March 2021 rebound in international tourism to Dominican Republic is a clear sign that our reactivation strategy is being successful,” said Tourism Minister David Collado. …
The number of global coronavirus infections is nearing 135 million. Europe is looking into the various ways it can save the coming tourist season. Italian authorities admit the possibility of opening the country for tourism in June. Spain, which saw a 90% drop in tourists, are also looking into the same course of action.
Europeans protest quarantine
Poland is not the only country to see people clashing with the police. Anti-lockdown protests have swept across Europe. In Vienna, people took to the streets demanding to repeal the curfew and reopen businesses.
A massive anti-lockdown protest has also taken place in…
Maltese authorities are planning to pay tourists up to 200 Euro to help the tourism industry recover.
The Minister of Tourism, Clayton Bartolo has clarified that the visiting tourists will only be eligible for the subsidy on one condition — if they stay for longer than three days. The visitors also have to stay in the local hotels, with five-star hotel guests eligible for 200 Euro, while four-star and three-star get 150 and 100 Euro respectively.
With that said, the subsidy is increased by 10% if the tourist books a hotel on the island of Gozo, which is part of the Maltese archipelago.
“The scheme is aimed at putting Malta’s hotels in a very competitive position as international tourism restarts,” Bartolo said.
The pandemic has left its imprint on how tourists plan for the upcoming spring-summer season.
These days travelers prefer:
1 Staycations — spending vacations in your own city, but in a different part of it, renting an apartment or a hotel room.
2. Slow travel. Many travelers prefer not to make concrete plans and rush or stress over not meeting their expectations.
3. Road trips. More tourists these days prefer traveling by car within their own countries.
4. Apartments and private residences. Less tourists are ready to come into contact with hotel staff and other guests. Many consider it important to have access to a personal kitchen.
According to a study done by an international research team Ipsos that ran from February through March 2021, 69% of Russians intend to travel domestically in the upcoming spring-summer season, while 36% of those surveyed plan to travel abroad. Just 16% of people don’t plan on travelling, afraid of catching the virus, or unwilling to spend time and money on PCR testing, going through quarantine, or even simply due to lack of money. Most Russians (70%) prefer beach resorts, which is a long-standing trend. Eco-tourism saw an increase in popularity. Backpacking has become an attractive option for 30% of those surveyed. It’s also worth noting that the study showed 47% of people planning to visit their friends and relatives from other areas of the country. 18% of Russians plan to go on a cruise, or go the health tourism route (12%).
