The bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong bursts (again) before it even leaves
Second failed attempt at the emergence of the tourism bubble between the two former British colonies-Singapore and Hong Kong. As [...]
SIN
Second attempt failed for the emergence of the tourism bubble between the two former British colonies-Singapore and Hong Kong.
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As was the case in December, this time the authorities blocked everything even before the first plane took off from the airport.
May 26 was the date identified for the reopening of the border between the two nations, but rising Covid-19 cases in Singapore forced the city-state government to pause the initiative, again.
Things are also not great between Australia and New Zealand, but at the moment the opening of the trans-Tasmanian bubble is holding out.
From this second failed attempt, as well as from the situation in Thailand and other parts of the world, it is clear that it is currently utopian to think of a zero-contamination scenario. Governments will, therefore, have to decide whether to follow suit. Australia and remain isolated sine die Or reactivate tourism despite Covid-19.
The second option could help entire areas of the world that need to give oxygen to their economies, which before the pandemic relied more than 50% on the non-essential travel industry. Think of destinations such as Bali, Thailand, Maldives, Seyschelles...
Obviously for tourism recovery to take place, it is important that solutions be devised to allow for a safe restart. An excellent example is Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean nations, which have opted for vaccination of residents, protocols and controls for incoming visitors, and the requirement for tourists to also have adequate medical insurance that can cover any hospitalizations. Without moving outside, another choice in this direction has also been made by the Italian government, which has opened up to tourists from overseas and beyond.
The tourism industry is an important asset for so many nations. It is no longer conceivable to keep giving it up; never more than now have we realized how much the economy needs non-essential travel.
