WILL NEW VIRUS STRAIN REVERSE TRAVEL INDUSTRY PROGRESS?

Hotelsmag.com

By: Jeff Weinstein

While the world waits to hear more about how contagious or lethal the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is, a number of countries have already announced border closings, further exacerbating the hotel industry recovery in the near term.

This news comes as the UNWTO reported on Sunday that international tourist arrivals increased by 58% in July-September 2021 compared to the same period of 2020. However, they remained 64% below 2019 levels. Europe recorded the best relative performance in the third quarter, with international arrivals 53% down on the same three-month period of 2019. In August and September arrivals were at -63% compared to 2019, the best monthly results since the start of the pandemic.

The heavily mutated virus has already spread to more than a dozen countries and the World Health Organization said on Monday the Omicron strain poses a very high risk of infection surges that could have “severe consequences” in some places.

Israel on Sunday became the first country to ban the entry of all foreigners and Japan followed suit on Monday. The Moroccan government said it would prohibit direct flights to the kingdom starting late Monday.

The U.S. is preparing for the Omicron variant with new travel restrictions for foreign visitors from South Africa and seven surrounding countries – Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles and Zimbabwe – effective Tuesday. President Biden held an emergency meeting with members of his COVID response team and by Monday afternoon said he did not expect to impose additional new travel restrictions.

The U.K. has placed the same countries on its red list, which requires those traveling from those countries and entering the U.K. to quarantine at their expense.

China is not yet making any changes to its travel restriction because tight measures, including allowing very few foreigners into the country, are already in place.

Multiple nations across Asia Pacific, however, are instituting new restrictions.

Australian officials have suspended all inbound and outbound flights to the eight African nations for at least 14 days and has banned foreigners with a travel history to these locations within the previous two weeks from entering.

The Philippines on Sunday barred arrivals from seven European countries – including the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy – and Singapore deferred the opening of quarantine-free “travel lanes” with United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday told officials to review a planned easing of restrictions on arrivals from “at-risk” countries.

Elsewhere, Brazil’s Presidential Chief of Staff Ciro Nogueira has said his country’s air borders with South Africa, Botswana, Swatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe are now closed.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has announced that any non-Canadian who has been in South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and/or Eswatini from November 12 onward will be barred from entering the country.