•Malaysia plans to enforce procedures, particularly for vehicles carrying large numbers of passengers, to restore confidence of travelling •Singapore announced a “fast lane” arrangement with China •Thailand is in talks to create travel bubbles for tourism that would allow the quarantine-free flow of people between Bangkok and several cities in China, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam •Indonesia also wants to build “travel bubbles” in areas free of Covid •France started lifting border controls to bring in migrant workers and visitors from other European countries •Spain has reopened some of its beaches with some restrictions in Madrid and Barcelona for groups larger than 10 people Covid-19 devastated the global tourism industry. Around the world, hotels and restaurants, pubs, tourist attractions, theme parks, ski resorts, and museums were closed down. Popular destinations became ghost towns for many months. In every country where tourism is a major industry, it encompasses a vast range of economic activity including hospitality (hotels and other accommodation), transportation (air, sea, and ground), restaurant operators, tourist guides, and much more. Commercial fairs, congresses, and cultural events were cancelled. Euro 2020 and the Olympic Games were delayed until 2021. Cruise lines stopped operations and some ships were stranded at sea. Many countries introduced border checks, or closed borders completely. But now, more and more countries are opening up again as they need to get their economies back on track. With it comes both anticipation and trepidation. In Sri Lanka, although it appears to have beaten the scourge of Covid-19, such operations must be carried out with great care by implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) mandated by the Ministry of Health. The opening up of the tourism industry is expected to help Sri Lanka speed up its time of economic recovery. Malaysia Malaysia has introduced the “Clean and Safe Malaysia” campaign to obtain the trust of domestic and international visitors. The goal is to certify hotels that fulfil relevant requirements. Airlines, hotels, tourist transporters, and other operators must also offer joint travel packages. This will reduce costs for businesses and tourists and increase the competitiveness of tourism in the region. Malaysia is expecting its tourism sector to recover gradually and stabilise by June 2021. Singapore For essential visits only, visitors from China can enter Singapore through the “fast lane” between selected Chinese provinces and Singapore. Chinese who want to travel via the fast track in order to make essential business or official journeys to Singapore must be sponsored, approved, and must comply with other requirements before entering Singapore by a company or government agency. The 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) is required for all incoming travellers including Singaporean citizens, permanent residents, and long-term passholders (work pass owners, student passholders, and long-term passholders) as well as those given in-principle approval (IPA) for an LPA. All travellers entering Singapore are required to undergo a Covid-19 test before the end of their SHN from 17 June in addition to serving the 14-day SHN. Persons entering Singapore after 17 June 2020 and who stayed in Australia (in the last two consecutive days), Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, China, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Vietnam do not need to serve their SHN at a special SHN facility. Thailand Thai tourism experts are worried that the Thai Government’s initiative to change its emphasis from mass tourism and backpackers to more upmarket travellers could result in small businesses being overlooked. Despite media reports last week that the Thai travel bubble plan is not ready for implementation by July and that international flights cannot resume by September, officials have launched a new luxury push to help resolve the existing inbound tourism shortfall. A domestic tourism boost promising to support hotels, F&B (food and beverage) companies, travel agencies, and domestic aviation has been approved by the Thai Government for 22.4 billion baht ($ 718 million). The programme is likely to include licensed hotels and lodgings. Thailand’s zoos are reopening to a new standard. Tickets must be booked in advance and health guidelines must be followed. Free entry is available until 30 June and the number of visitors each day is limited to 2,000. Entry is for a half-day with two entry times between 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. to reduce crowding. Grand Palace, the most popular tourist attraction of Bangkok, has now been certified with the “Amazing Thailand SHA” certificate. This specially designed certificate for the tourism industry recognises 10 types of tourism-related businesses to meet basic hygiene, health, and cleanliness standards throughout facilities, equipment, toilets, and operational employees. A total of 127 Thai national parks will be reopened on 1 July, with a complete reopening of 64 parks and a partial reopening of 63, while 28 parks would remain closed. The Maldives The Maldives aims to open up to visitors from all over the world without any restrictions for Covid-19 beginning in July. The number of travel restrictions related to Covid-19, announced less than two weeks ago, have been dramatically reversed. Starting from July, tourists can enter the Maldives with no visa or Covid-19 checks at either end of their flight, stay as long as they want, and not bother themselves. In fact, it seems like business as usual. A notice was issued by the Maldivian Ministry of Tourism stating that the sun will shine on the Maldives again, saying “See you in July”. Just late last month, the Maldives Government had announced a long list of criteria including a $ 100 tourist visa, a minimum 14-night stay, and a Covid-19 test taken no more than one week prior to arrival. On arrival, tourists were to be tested again at an additional cost of $ 100. Tourists would then have to quarantine in their hotel or resort room until they received test results in a few hours. All these constraints are now gone and people can go as they want, just as before the pandemic. Since March, when the first cases of Covid-19 were detected in the islands, the country that depends heavily on tourist dollars almost completely shut visitors. About 2,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases have been reported in the Maldives to date. Some resorts were kept open throughout the lockdown and from 1 June, guests were welcomed to the country by private jet or yacht. However, commercial flights have not yet opened. SriLankan Airlines has traditionally been the main airline flying into the Maldives. The only change is that resorts must obtain a Government-approved “secure resort permits”. For this, resorts must meet government cleanliness training standards, assign 10% of rooms and resort staff to quarantine visitors, train all staff in special procedures, and have a physician on call. While the Government previously announced that visitors must submit a hotel or resort license reservation on arrival, this regulation has also been scrapped. Officials had suggested previously, but this was brought forward, that the popular honeymoon destination would be reopened at year-end. India India is facing severe challenges in coping with the pandemic. Its swift nationwide lockdown and closing of borders in March appeared to work well. However, in the face of economic challenges, India eased its internal lockdown and restarted domestic travel including air travel. But the pandemic has now reached very high levels and it is now facing a situation of between 10,000 and 15,000 infections daily. Goa’s tourism industry is concerned about the possibility of irreparable damage due to the pandemic. Goa “tried” to reopen the hotel industry quickly so that businesses would not be completely shut down due to its prolonged lockdown. The tourist industry has suffered most from lockdown, which accounts for more than 9% of Goa’s GDP. This stated that it would at least encourage the Government to resume operations, given the industry cannot be deprived of it. Indonesia The pandemic has a major effect on local economies, with Bali, which attracted 6.3 million international tourists last year, primarily dependent on tourism. By 22 June 2020, the official infection count in Bali, with a population of about 4.2 million inhabitants, was 954 cases. On 20 March 2020, visa on arrival in Bali was stopped while the airport remained open. In Indonesia where passengers can’t transit or enter the country, there is still a restriction for travelling with some exceptions. Garuda Indonesia, the national carrier, has restarted operations and introduced in its cabins a system of social distancing, including blocking the central seats. Anyone travelling via Ngurah Rai International Airport to Bali must present a number of documents. These include: •A health statement saying they are Covid-19 negative, based on a PCR check carried out in Indonesia either by a national or state laboratory or by the Covid-19 task force •A statement of intent and another declaration by a sponsor who should be accountable for the traveller while in the province Travellers must also fill out an application form on a platform created by the provincial government to produce a QR code to show that this provision is checked. Several famous beaches, beach clubs, and resorts continue to be closed. Some restaurants and shops have turned towards deliveries, whereas public areas such as Lovina Beach, Besakih Temple, and Garuda Wisnu Kencana are still closed to the public. While foreign tourists make efforts to visit beaches covertly in the Canggu area, local authorities pointed out that neither beach is open to the general public. Europe In several European countries, the tourism industry is slowly being revived with new precautions introduced to ensure Covid-19 does not spread. The situation in many EU (European Union) countries such as Italy, Spain, and France is especially difficult. Italy is expected to lose around 60% of its visitors this year, according to projections by the Italian Tourist Federation. Conclusion Nations appear to be taking one of three courses of action in opening up in a global situation that can be described as uncharted waters: 1.Wildly overconfident with no safeguards at all 2.Reasonably cautious with some testing for visitors and some safeguards for the industry; no quarantine 3.Extreme caution with only a selected number of nationalities allowed, with strict testing and quarantine for visitors and strict safeguards for the industry Sri Lanka appears to have chosen a middle path. It remains to be seen whether it will serve the dual requirements of enticing tourists to the island to jumpstart the economy, while at the same time safeguarding all those involved in the industry and preventing a relapse of the pandemic. ------------------------- Dr. Nicholas Ruwan Dias is a Digital Architect at Aegon Asia based in Kuala Lumpur. He holds a BSC in Computing from the University of Greenwich, a Masters in Computer Software Engineering from Staffordshire University, and a PhD from the University of Malaya. He is completing a second doctorate [DBA] from Universiti Utara Malaysia. Niresh Eliatamby, MBA, LLM, is a specialist in destination marketing and lectures travel trade management and hospitality management in Sri Lanka for London Metropolitan University. He was a consultant for SriLankan Airlines, Editor of a travel magazine; and authored several books related to Sri Lanka’s tourism industry)