The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is anticipating a rise in international mobility over the coming weeks and months, assuming the continued global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and the increased adoption of digital solutions (such as travel passes) for safe travel. That said, serious obstacles remain for tourism’s recovery, including the wide array of international travel restrictions and the unpredictability of changes to those policies.
According to the latest Travel Restrictions Report from UNWTO, as of June 1, 29% of worldwide destinations remain completely closed to international tourism, more than half of which have been locked down since May 2020 (when global border closures peaked at 75% of destinations) or longer. Just three destinations — Albania, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic — are completely open to tourists with no restrictions in place.
Major regional differences are also in play when it comes to border closures, with 70% of destinations in Asia and the Pacific completely closed, compared to 31% in the Middle East, 20% in the Americas, 19% in Africa and just 13% in Europe.
But data from the report confirms that destinations are adopting “more nuanced, evidence-and-risk-based approaches to restrictions on travel,” taking into account factors including whether visitors and locals are vaccinated, or if travelers are coming from destinations with COVID-19 variants. For instance, one in three destinations (34%) are now partially closed; 36% request a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival; and 42% have introduced specific restrictions for visitors from destinations where variants are a rising risk, including the suspension of flights, closing of borders or mandatory quarantines.
In addition, 17% of global destinations now specifically mention vaccinated passengers in their regulations. While travel restrictions continue to apply to fully vaccinated travelers in most of these cases, some places have lifted all restrictions for these visitors — and UNWTO expects to see significant changes to this area in particular in the near future.
UNWTO also reports a link between vaccination speed and the easing of travel restrictions, noting that most of the destinations with the strictest measures have some of the lowest rates of vaccination — indicating that countries are likely to allow travel to slowly return as their populations become more vaccinated.
Another factor affecting border reopenings is the ability of countries to work together on harmonized rules and protocols, such as those being implemented in the Schengen area of the EU, which UNWTO predicts will better allow for the return of tourism.
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United Nations World Tourism Organization
