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5 Safe-Bet Destinations That Will Remain Open For Tourism

The fourth wave has officially started due to the surging number of cases caused by the Delta variant. With that has come a whole new fresh batch of travel restrictions and uncertainty for travelers looking to book their next trip. Since the pandemic started in 2020, Travel Off Path has followed every country in terms of travel restrictions and there are a few we are calling ‘safe bets’ for booking a vacation heading into fall and winter. These are countries that have never closed in the first place or they have reopened and stayed that way consistently over the last year despite new surges. Here are our top 5 ‘Safe-Bet’ destinations where travelers can feel confident that their trip will happen without borders being closed. While there’s always a chance these countries could enact new restrictions, their track record has shown the chances are very slim. 5. Maldives The Maldives reopened for tourism back in July 2020 and has never closed their borders since. While travel restrictions have changed over the past year, most moves have been positive making it easier than ever to visit. Currently travelers from all countries will need to bring proof of a negative PCR test, administered no more than 96 hours before departure on the first embarkation point. Fully vaccinated travelers are exempt from this requirement. 4. UAE – Dubai Dubai was one of the first cities in the world to fully reopen for tourism back in July of 2020. They have never closed since and have stayed consistent with their entry requirements. All passengers arriving to Dubai from any point of origin must hold a negative PCR test certificate, for which the test must be taken no more than 72 hours prior to the time of departure. For a very select list of countries, the window for the test is reduced to 48 hours. 3. Jamaica Once Jamaica reopened for tourism, it stayed that way. While they have never re-closed their borders, the country did start requiring a negative PCR or Antigen test, taken no more than 3 days prior to arrival. The Jamaican tourism board has launched a Test Date Calculator to make it easier for travelers to understand the 3-day timeframe. Passengers must also fill out a Travel Authorization Form that will be required to check in for your flight. 2. Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is by far one of the easiest countries to travel to during the pandemic. With no testing or quarantine requirements for travelers coming from the U.S. Canada and Europe, the Dominican Republic will once again be a top choice for winter vacations. The country reopened for tourism back in July of 2020 and has stayed open ever since. 1. Mexico The king of pandemic tourism remains Mexico. The country never actually closed their borders and has received tens of millions of tourists over the last year. There are no testing or quarantine requirements and it’s the easiest country to visit for American tourists. The country has no plans of restricting its borders and most resort cities have deemed tourism as an essential service. This means hotels and restaurants will always remain open offering full services albeit with limited capacities. The only Covid-19 entry requirement to enter Mexico is for passengers to fill out an online form before arrival.

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Indonesia Exempts Yachts From Luxury Tax for Marine Tourism

Indonesia will exempt yachts and cruise ships used for tourism from a 75% luxury tax as the world’s biggest archipelago looks into ways to revive its vacation industry amid the pandemic. Similar sailing vessels built for public transport are also exempted, while those imported for other uses are still subject to the levy, the tax office said in a statement on Saturday. The move is meant to boost marine tourism as it has vast potential, said Neilmaldrin Noor, head of public relations at the office. Indonesia spans thousands of islands that would stretch from New York to London, but its cruise industry lags smaller neighbors such as Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand. The government is exploring ways to improve tourism revenue as the local virus resurgence put a halt to plans to reopen island destination Bali, whose economy has been battered by the pandemic. It’s currently building the country’s largest cruise port in Bali to accommodate ships up to 350 meters (1,148 feet) long, set to operate by end-2023.

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Maharashtra Government To Train Tribal Youth As Tourist Guides’

The Directorate of Tourism (DoT), Maharashtra has announced plans to train tribal youth as tourist guides in the state as part of empowering tribal youngsters to take up jobs in the tourism sector. The government will also give free training to them. The programme is all set to launch in Raigad district of Maharashtra along with the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM). It is an autonomous body under the Ministry for Tourism, India. As per program, 31 tribal youth from Karnala Sanctuary and Phansad Sanctuary will be selected for the training. It is a ‘Special 5-day Guide Training Programme’ where after five days, certificates will be awarded to the youth. This is for the first time that the DoT Maharashtra is conducting such a guide training programme for youth belonging from tribal backgrounds. The training will begin on August 2 and last on August 6 and youths will be given both theoretical and practical training. They will be taught about the roles and responsibilities of tour guides, best practices, concept of biodiversity, nature trail, how to conduct walking tours, handling difficult situations, among others. The State Minister of Maharashtra for Tourism and Guardian Minister of Raigad, Aditi Tatkare, said, “This initiative by DoT for the unemployed youth of tribal areas will definitely prove to be helpful for them. This training programme will further be useful in spreading the glory of our state, as an excellent tourism guide, in different corners of the world. With the help of this programme, high quality tourist guides related to respective destinations in the State, will be ready.” He further said that there’s a lot of scope for tourism in Maharashtra and that with this there is a demand for trained guides in places with diverse tourist destinations. She also said that every tourist needs a good guide to make their visit unforgettable.

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Karnataka insists on RT-PCR test for Kerala, Maharashtra travellers

With Kerala and Maharashtra seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, Karnataka has made a negative RT-PCR certificate mandatory for all arrivals from the two States. The certificate should not be older than 72 hours, irrespective of vaccination status. “The negative certificate is mandatory for all the passengers coming to Karnataka by flight, bus, train and personal transport. This is applicable for all flights originating in Kerala and Maharashtra. Airlines should issue boarding passes only to passengers carrying RT-PCR negative certificates not older than 72 hours,” an official circular said. The government directed all Deputy Commissioners of Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Mysuru and Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi and Bidar, to establish border check posts and deploy staff to ensure that all vehicles (driver, passengers, helper, cleaner) entering Karnataka are checked for compliance. Karnataka on Saturday reported 1,987 new cases of COVID-19. Of these, 450 cases were from Bengaluru Urban, while numbers rose slightly in districts bordering Kerala and Maharashtra. There were 37 more deaths and the test positivity rate (TPR) for the day was 1.43%. A Central team of the Health Ministry despatched to help Kerala in COVID-19 management visited Alappuzha and reviewed the pandemic situation on Saturday. The five-member team comprising Sujeet Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); Jain S.K., Adviser, NCDC, Pranay Verma, Deputy Director, NCDC; Ruchi Jain, a public health specialist; and Binoy S. Babu, Assistant Director, Directorate of Health Services, Kerala, interacted with District Collector A. Alexander and health officials. The team called for strong measures to tackle disease spread in high-incidence areas within containment zones. Officials said the teams were looking at testing, contact tracing, surveillance and containment, availability of hospital beds, logistics including ambulances, hospital-wise case fatality analysis, and progress of vaccination.

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Air India to Double Flights to US From August Amid Huge Rush of Students

In a major relief to a large number of Indian students headed to the US for higher studies, Air India has announced that it will increase its flight frequency to the country from August first week. The welcome move comes against the backdrop of several students flagging on social media the rescheduling of their Air India flights to the US, allegedly without prior notice. “With the recent surge in COVID cases and the US Presidential Proclamation restricting flights from India, some of our flights to the USA, including those between Mumbai and Newark, had to be cancelled. These were effected well in advance and passengers were kept aware of these cancellations which were for reasons beyond our control,” Air India stated while responding to an NDTV query on the issue. Meanwhile, Air India also said that it will operate additional flights between New Delhi and Newark on August 6, 13, 20 and 27. “These are in addition to the existing flights operating on this sector,” the airlines said in a tweet.

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Saudi Arabia To Reopen To Vaccinated Tourists from 1st August

Saudi Arabia announced Friday it would reopen its borders to fully vaccinated foreign tourists after a 17-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the state news agency said. However, Riyadh did not announce any lifting of restrictions on the umrah, a pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time, which usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year. "The Ministry of Tourism announced that the Kingdom will open its doors to foreign tourists, and lift... the suspension of entry for tourist visa holders, starting from August 1," the Saudi Press Agency reported. It said travellers fully vaccinated with Saudi-approved jabs -- Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson -- will be able to enter the kingdom "without the need for an institutional quarantine period", provided they also have proof of a negative PCR Covid-19 test taken within the last 72 hours and register their details with health authorities. Riyadh has spent billions trying to build a tourism industry from scratch, as part of efforts to diversify its oil-reliant economy. The once-reclusive kingdom began issuing tourist visas for the first time in 2019, part of an ambitious push to revamp its global image and draw visitors. Between September 2019 and March 2020, it issued 400,000 -- only for the pandemic to crush that momentum as borders were closed. Covid-19 also hugely disrupted the hajj and umrah pilgrimages, usually a key revenue earner for the kingdom -- in normal times, they together rake in some $12 billion (10.3 billion euros) annually. Currently only immunised pilgrims resident in Saudi Arabia are eligible for umrah permits. The government has accelerated a nationwide vaccination drive as it moves to revive tourism and host sports and entertainment extravaganzas, all pandemic-hit sectors. So far, 26 million jabs have been administered to the population of 35 million, and the kingdom has said that from August 1, vaccinations will be mandatory to enter government and private establishments, including education institutions and entertainment venues, as well as to use public transport.

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