BY Azlan Othman

Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, Bhutan, Taiwan, Samoa, Vanuatu, Japan, China and Laos are ranked as the destinations with the least favourable conditions to revive their pandemic-battered tourism industries among Asia Pacific destinations, according to the Asia Travel-ready (ATR) index 2022 released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) recently.

The top performers in the Index, – Fiji, the Maldives and Sri Lanka – have eased their visa and entry restrictions since 2021 or earlier.

A combination of broader and more effective vaccination coverage and greater reliance on tourism have lent themselves to less restrictive travel policies.

The infectious Omicron variant has accelerated convergence of COVID-19 transmission profiles across the world, rendering border measures less meaningful. This has accelerated re-openings, with Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines announcing broad liberalisation in March and April.

Northeast Asian economies, which are less reliant on tourism, have been slower to re-open.

Meanwhile, China, along with Hong Kong and Macau, will hold onto its “dynamic zero COVID” policy for at least 2022. While Macau benefits from a bilateral arrangement in which mainland Chinese tourists can visit without quarantine, Hong Kong – a global trade and financial hub – will suffer as it loses connectivity to the world.

“A combination of broader and more effective vaccination coverage and greater reliance on tourism have lent themselves to less restrictive travel policies,” the EIU said.

The negative economic effect of the COVID 19 pandemic has been especially deep for tourism services, amid widespread border closures in 2020 and strict travel and quarantine regimes in 2021.

The tourism industry is important for Asian economies, with such expenditure running equivalent to more than 10 per cent of GDP on average. Island nations such as the Maldives, Vanuatu and Fiji, alongside city-state economies like Macau and Hong Kong, are among the most dependent.

In 2022 re-opening the borders and attracting international tourists will be a priority for tourism dependent economies to support recovery.

Widening vaccine access and coverage, along with the subsiding lethal nature of COVID 19, provides a window of opportunity for Asian economies to re-open confidently.

ATR index assesses prospects for a tourism recovery across Asian economies. The index captures three factors that might affect international tourists’ sentiment vaccination coverage in the destination; the ease of travelling to the destination; and quarantine requirements when they return to their place of residence. The index allocates a greater weight to restriction factors compared with vaccination.

The public perception of COVID 19 has become less fearful, as a result of vaccination and the declining severity of the virus.

Restrictions, on the other hand, require significant time and costs from travellers, and complicate travel plans.

Beyond the concern of vaccination and local restrictions, testing requirements, treatment of travellers who are infected with COVID 19 and uncertainty in border policies are also important causes for concern. These conditions can bring compliance costs to a level on a par with those associated with return airfare or accommodation.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin