Many countries postpone the "tourist bubble" program

Many countries postpone the "tourist bubble" program

The negotiation plan to establish a "travel bubble" and a green lane between countries that have successfully controlled the pandemic has been launched by many Asian countries to rescue the tourism industry during the Covid-19 season. However, up to this point, the high number of Covid-19 infections has significantly affected tourism stimulus plans in some countries.

 Singapore - Hong Kong "air travel bubble" will be delayed for at least 2 weeks Photo: AP

A “tourist bubble” is an exclusive agreement between countries or localities that has been quite successful in preventing the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to this agreement, people can travel freely between countries without having to be quarantined upon entry. The move will allow countries to take the first steps towards restarting tourism.

As expected, the Singapore - Hong Kong "air travel bubble" began to be deployed on November 22, but was forced to postpone it for two weeks due to the sharp increase in the number of infections in Hong Kong in recent days. Speaking to the press, the head of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Development Authority, Edward Yau said: "Due to the sharp increase in the number of infections, we have joined the Singapore Government to postpone the start of the 'bubble' program. travel” for another 2 weeks. We have mechanisms and agreements in place on this. However, in order to have a smooth start and also for the benefit of passengers, to avoid causing disturbance, we decided to delay the project's launch point."

In October, Singapore and Hong Kong reached an agreement to create the world's first comprehensive "air travel corridor", allowing a limited number of people to move between the two places each day. without having to be isolated for epidemic prevention, as long as the passenger completes and has a negative Covid-19 test result before and after entry and flies on the designated flights. Singapore's Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said: “This is a safe, prudent and significant step to revitalize the air travel industry and create a future model of cooperation with Singapore. other regions of the world”.

Mr. Ong Ye Kung also said that "tourism bubbles" should only be established with countries and territories that have successfully controlled the pandemic. At the same time, the Government can manage risk more closely by setting limits on the number of travelers per day and ensuring that all visitors adhere to Covid-19 testing protocols. "We also ask travelers to apply for an Air Pass (ATP) before the trip, so that we can capture the number and reduce it if the epidemic situation becomes complicated," said Mr. Ong Ye Kung. strong.

As for Japan, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has just announced that the country will stop the "Go To Travel" travel subsidy program in areas with a high number of Covid-19 cases. Many localities in Japan have recorded a high number of daily infections in recent days. The "Go To Travel" program was launched at the end of July 2020, supporting up to 50% of domestic travel costs. In addition, the Japanese government will also ask the heads of provinces to consider stopping the distribution of "Go To Eat" food coupons, which are intended to encourage people to eat at restaurants. According to Prime Minister Suga, the Japanese government is working hard to strike a balance between preventing the spread of the disease and restoring the devastated economy, so it is essential for the cooperation of the people to not have to impose stronger measures.

The head of the Japan Medical Association Toshio Nakagawa said that there is no concrete evidence that the tourism stimulus program is the cause of the recent spike in Covid-19 cases, but the program This process “acts as a catalyst”.