Singapore is starting to allow passengers from Brunei and New Zealand to enter on September 8, 2020, without having to first quarantine for 7 or 14 days. They merely need to undergo a Covid-19 test upon arrival.
Passengers from Australia (excluding Victoria State), Macao, Mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia need to quarantine for 7 days (previously 14). They can do it at their place of residence (no longer at a designated hotel).
STA Travel, an agency specializing in youth and student travel, in the UK and Australia have ceased trading and filed for insolvency after the group’s parent company in Switzerland, collapsed on Thursday.
STA Travel has several joint ventures and franchisees in various countries that may try to continue trading even after parts of the chain, including the parent, have filed for insolvency.
Ecuador, a South American country, especially hard hit with the Covid-19 deaths, has reopened for international arrivals as of August 18, 2020.
Passengers need to have a negative Covid-19 test administered within 10 days of arrival, and there are no other requirements such as mandatory quarantine.
The Tourism Association of Koh Samui is about to present a rather unworkable plan to the CCSA (Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration in Thailand) on how to allow international tourism arrivals to their holiday island.
Many destinations that are heavily dependent on international tourism have been especially hard hit by the various travel, transit, and entry bans. There is no clear timeline set for Thailand to allow international arrivals outside of residents, Thai citizens, some business, and healthcare sector travelers.
Israel designed 21 countries as GREEN on Sunday from which Israelis and permanent residents don’t need to quarantine for two weeks after returning.
There are four countries of Bulgaria, Croatia, parts of Greece, and Montenegro (this last one unclear) will allow Israeli visitors with limits of negative Covid-19 tests.
South African president announced on Saturday that the country would move from level three to two restrictions starting this Monday, allowing domestic leisure travel and restaurants and bars to reopen.
It is still not clear when the country would welcome foreign visitors. The government back in February (read more here) stated that they wouldn’t reopen for international leisure arrivals before February 2021.
Indonesia suspended short term visa exemption and VOA (Visa-On-Arrival) back in March, and there has been plenty of talk, like with all other countries dependent on tourism, when the borders are opened again.
Bali Tourism Association had planned to reopen the island for foreign tourists on September 11, 2020 (read more here), after allowing domestic arrivals first. Now, this plan has been scrapped.
Iceland, faced with increasing Covid-19 infection rates, is implementing new arrival requirements from August 19, 2020.
All passengers are required to take two Covid-19 tests 4-5 days apart and quarantine until they receive negative results. Alternatively, those that don’t wish to take any tests can choose to isolate for two weeks.
There have been talks about possible travel bubbles and corridors between countries in Asia-Pacific with low infection rates, although even those are rising at the moment, going on for months with little or no results.
It appears, however, that Singapore and Japan were finally able to put something together that will be in place from this September, allowing some travel.
The UK government has amended the list of safe countries from which arrivals to England don’t need to quarantine for 14-days voluntarily.
People that arrive from Aruba, France, the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta & Turks and Caicos Islands need to quarantine for 14-days starting at 4 AM on Saturday, August 15, 2020.
Swissport is one of those aviation companies that you end up unknowingly dealing with numerous times in the course of the year.
The company was, as the name suggests, part of Swissair but was spun off before the airline collapsed. Later, the now troubled Chinese leisure/travel conglomerate that briefly owned a quarter of Hilton, HNA purchased the company that is unable to meet its obligations, and the owner is unable or unwilling to recapitalize the unit.
Greece tried to save its summer tourists season by opening its borders to the entire EU/EEA + UK and select third countries but is now battling the second wave of Covid-19 infections.
Visitors arriving in Greece from Sweden, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic will need to provide a negative Covid-19 test performed no more than 72 hours before arrival, according to Reuters. This requirement also applies at all land borders, including Greek citizens, and is effective from August 17, 2020.
There was news coming out of New Zealand today where the local media was reporting that the country’s external border may stay closed for an extended period of up to two years.
Australia and New Zealand were talking about a trans-Tasman travel bubble late spring (northern – fall in the southern hemisphere) that would also include the Pacific Islands with close ties to both countries. This plan has now been scrapped due to an increasing number of infections in Australia.
Travelex, the infamous foreign exchange company whose branches you usually see at airports, fell into administration on Thursday with a prepacked deal with its noteholders.
The company is, in essence, split in two, and a special purpose vehicle takes over the viable parts while the rest, such as most of the UK retail locations have stopped trading.
