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PETALING JAYA: Winter has been the preferred travel period for Europeans seeking to escape the freezing weather in search of sun and surf.
But this is set to change as the uncertainties of Covid-19 continue to confine many at home, even as countries keep their borders close to foreigners.
Malaysia recently announced that it would impose an entry ban on citizens of countries that have more than 150,000 Covid-19 cases as of September 7.
In addition to Malaysia, many countries have closed their borders to international tourists in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Indonesia initially planned to reopen Bali to foreigners in September, but it was postponed after a spike in cases.
According to Reuters, daily cases have nearly tripled on the holiday island over the past six weeks, while the death toll has doubled.
Indonesia has relied on domestic travel to maintain its economy since closing its international borders.
But the surge in domestic travel to Bali is alleged to have led to the rise in Covid-19 cases there, Reuters reported.
The Indonesian island has since announced that it will not allow international tourists until 2021, according to The Washington Post. Thailand, on the other hand, was seeking to revive its tourism economy with plans to offer long-term visas to foreigners and propose a cautious reopening of Phuket, Reuters reported.
But this has taken a slight hit as the country saw its first locally broadcast Covid-19 case in 100 days.
According to Bloomberg, the country has plans to allow limited international tourists to Phuket on long-term visas to stay in Thailand for up to nine months.
These visitors must accept a mandatory two-week quarantine upon arrival at designated resorts and undergo testing in Phuket.
The Washington Post reported that countries such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will likely follow in the footsteps of Indonesia and Thailand and ban international travelers until 2021, but no official announcements have been made.
As the pandemic continues, most countries depend on their domestic tourism to help sustain their tourism economy.
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