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By The Washington Post 
12h ago
Even as many nations begin to lift their coronavirus travel restrictions, travelers considering gambling on overseas travel in late 2020 might want to reconsider, or at least make sure they book a very flexible ticket. Some destinations have recently taken steps to extend their tourist closures.
Hospitality experts say prolonged border closures could be a smart measure for the survival of certain destinations frequented by tourists.
“As countries open and close again due to [Covid-19] cases. . . these destinations might be thinking ‘Let’s wait until the storm passes,’ “said John Niser, director of the International School of Hotel and Tourism Management (ISHTM) at Fairleigh Dickinson University.” Reopening and closing again due to an outbreak. . . it’s totally unpredictable. “
Nations that reopened in 2020 only to once again limit tourists in some way include the Bahamas, which closed its borders to Americans after coronavirus cases began to rise in July. (It later reopened with 14-day quarantines in effect.) Hungary’s government, which has been open to tourists from the EU and citizens of some other low-risk countries, announced on Friday that it will close its borders on September 1 amid a surge in cases.
These are the destinations that have directly indicated or announced that they will not allow tourists until 2021:
Bali, Indonesia
The Indonesian island of Bali recently announced that contrary to the scheduled reopening date of September 11, it will not allow international tourists until 2021. Instead, the island only allows domestic travel in hopes of supporting the local economy and avoiding a surge. in COVID-19 Cases. In its third phase of the reopening protocol, the Indonesian tourism board announced in a press release that “Bali [will] it will not be able to be opened to foreign tourists as planned “and” will extend the travel ban until at least the end of 2020. “The Indonesian tourism board also noted that Bali’s main airport, which is closed to international arrivals, is seeing thousands of national tourist arrivals per day.
Niser said that smaller tourist destinations made up mostly of small businesses have an added incentive to stay closed: Small business owners in areas frequented by tourists have less debt than big chains, so “it might be cheaper to stay closed.” .
Thailand
Thailand recently echoed the intention to delay the reopening, and Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya from Thailand’s tourism authority commented in a webinar earlier this month: “I don’t see any sign from the government that the country will open this year”.
The country has a pilot program in October to allow some international tourists to enter Phuket, but only if visitors agree to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival at a designated resort.
Australia and New Zealand
Larger nations are also hinting that they are unlikely to reopen in 2020, with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce recently telling investors that he predicts Australians won’t be able to fly internationally until 2021, according to the New Zealand Herald. . Officials from Australia and New Zealand have talked about allowing a possible travel bubble between the two nations if Covid-19 levels remain in check, but New Zealand continues to impose a complete ban on nearly all visitors.
New Zealand’s tourism board told The Washington Post via email: “It is not known at this time when the border is likely to reopen, but the health and safety of New Zealanders will be at the forefront of whatever decision the New Zealand government. “
Australian Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said in April during an appearance on News Breakfast, an Australian morning show, that citizens should not plan to travel internationally in December. In August, he highlighted in the same program that Australians should support the tourism industry by booking national stays and experiences.
South Africa
Another large country that relies heavily on tourism, South Africa has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in all of Africa, with more than 618,000 cases in total. The peak of new daily cases came in late July, after the strict closures and curfews imposed early in the pandemic were lifted in May. Sisa Ntshona, executive director of South Africa Tourism, told the BBC amid the outbreak last month: “I do not anticipate any international tourism to occur in this calendar year.”
Protests in South Africa have become commonplace in response to the impact of Covid-19. The Institute for Security Studies, also known as ISS Africa, said in a July analysis: “The pandemic has exposed the socioeconomic weaknesses that result from poor policy implementation and a fundamental failure of political leadership.” The South African-based organization notes that an average of eight protests occurred every day in July, which is the most the country has seen in a month since 2013.
ISHTM’s Niser says he expects some nations to experience a similar unrest if they continue to be closed to the tourism they depend on, despite the threat tourism poses to public health. Outside of businesses like hotels, there are individual workers to think about, such as taxi drivers, guides and tour operators, he says, who might be out of work until the crowds return.
“I predict great social unrest in the Caribbean and Africa, South Africa in particular and some countries in Asia,” says Niser. “Empty pots can be more dangerous than tanks on the street, so to speak.”
The Washington Post
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