Signs of Hope: Travel Rebound Expected in Asia + Europe Opening to Vaccinated Americans

Signs of Hope: Travel Rebound Expected in Asia + Europe Opening to Vaccinated Americans

April 26, 2021 Jim Byers

Vaccinated Americans may soon be welcome in Europe. An Asia rebound appears on the way. And another new travel bubble is opening.

If you’re a Canadian looking at the lockdowns in Ontario and now in Nova Scotia, or watching the news out of India, you might find it hard to believe. But there are some positive developments for the travel industry worldwide.

Vaccination programs are being rolled out around the world, and the South China Morning Post says hopes are high that travel in Asia will have resumed by the end of the year. With many bargains to be bagged, now may be the time to put a down payment on that dream holiday.

Hotels, airlines, travel agents and other tourism-related businesses that have managed to stave off the economic onslaught of COVID-19 are working on survival. The Post says that means there are deals to be had, with plenty of flexibility built in, so holidaymakers can start planning for a long-awaited yet reasonably priced adventure abroad.

Meanwhile, the BBC reports that Singapore and Hong Kong have agreed to start quarantine-free travel between the two cities from 26 May.

The long delayed travel bubble was first slated to begin in November, but was suspended after a sudden spike of COVID-19 infections in Hong Kong. If it goes ahead, this travel bubble will be the second major air route in the region to open after Australia and New Zealand resumed flights last week.

In Europe, they’re getting ready to welcome vaccinated Americans. U.S. tourists who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to visit the European Union over the summer, the head of the bloc’s executive body said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, more than a year after shutting down nonessential travel from most countries to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

The fast pace of vaccination in the United States, and advanced talks between authorities there and the European Union over how to make vaccine certificates acceptable as proof of immunity for visitors, will enable the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, to recommend a switch in policy that could see trans-Atlantic leisure travel restored, the Times said.

“The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said Sunday in an interview. “This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union.

“Because one thing is clear: All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by E.M.A.,” she added. The agency, the bloc’s drugs regulator, has approved all three vaccines being used in the United States, namely the Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson shots.

The situation in the U.S. also is improving daily. NBC New York reports that, starting today in the state of New York, movie theatres will be able to raise capacity to 33%, while museums, zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens boost capacity to 50%. Next month, the governor will allow large arenas to expand capacity to 25%; just ahead of the NBA playoffs (and a big lift for the New York Knicks NBA squad).

In Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, politicians recently approved a reopening plan that would increase capacity from 50% to 80% and reduce social distancing from six feet to three feet starting on May 1. It’s a big boost for Vegas restaurants, which will be able to operate at 80% capacity.