Pattaya’s Walk and Eat food festival coming up

 Foodies in Pattaya have something to look forward to. The city’s Walk and Eat food festival is coming up, after being cancelled or restricted for years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The long festival will run from December 10 to January 29 at the Naklua fish market in Old Town Naklua. Attendees can sample tasty local dishes, and enjoy concerts and cultural events. But that’s not all, there will be activities for children, The Pattaya News reported. This will be the 14th Walk and Eat festival.

According to a Facebook post by the Direct Line to the Mayor of Pattaya City, the festival’s objective is “promoting and encouraging people and communities to participate in the conservation and development of tourist attractions in the local community area.”

Renowned as a tourism hub, Pattaya is known for hosting numerous festivals. These festivals have come back in full force now that Covid restrictions have been lifted.

From Friday to Saturday, the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival met its goal of drawing over 100,000 spectators. The fireworks illuminated the skyline of Central Pattaya Beach, and could also be seen from other points including Bali Hai Pier, and Phra Tamnak Mountain Viewpoint near Bali Nai Pier.

The festival featured stunning fireworks displays from Canada, the Philippines, Belgium, and Malaysia.

Last month, tourists flocked to two seafood festivals in Pattaya over the three-day weekend. The Central Pattaya shopping mall held the “Sea Bear” food festival, bringing in income for vendors.

There was also a seafood festival at Terminal 21 shopping mall, which saw hundreds of vacationers stopping by, Pattaya Mail reported. The festival had planned to feature street food vendors from across eastern Thailand, under a street market theme. The festival was hoped to bring in revenue to local vendors to revive Pattaya’s tourism. In May, the 20 vendors at Pattaya’s new Squid Fair seafood festival earned almost 30,000-40,000 baht a day. The president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association said that 3,000-4,000 visitors went to the festival every day it was held.

The ‘Walk and Eat’ festival is another opportunity for Pattaya dwellers and visitors to savour delicious foods while supporting the local economy.

Source - The Thaiger

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Thailand tourism recovery already looks unlikely

International airports in Thailand have come alive over the past week, with more than 12,000 travellers flying in, mostly from 63 countries which have been exempted from quarantine or area restrictions.
If this momentum continues, the total number of incoming travellers this month is likely to overtake the total for the past 19 months, which saw zero tourists during the first nationwide lockdown in the second quarter of last year.

It will also be a big leap from the four months of sandbox programmes, which have seen Phuket and Koh Samui attract 12,000-18,000 international tourists per month.

The current flow of tourists might create a positive vibe for the travel industry, but it is still in stark contrast to the pre-pandemic era, which saw over 3 million tourists on average visit Thailand every month.
Before the sandbox programme kicked off on July 1 this year, the government vowed to bring back at least 100,000 international tourists through this scheme during its first three months.

However, after four months of countless hiccups from unsettled regulations, the total number turned out to be far below expectations, with around 63,000 foreign visitors coming through this scheme.

The sandbox, therefore, helped shape the minimal requirements of the new entry scheme, called “Test & Go”, that removes both mandatory quarantine and area restrictions for travellers from countries on the exempted list. The eligible countries will be updated biweekly, meaning more countries might be added in the future.

Fourteen of 15 countries that contributed the most revenue to Thai tourism in 2019 are on the list, with just Russia, which is still overwhelmed with new cases, missing.

As a result, the tourism outlook should be promising thanks to the relaxation of regulations. But in reality, bookings nationwide have not dramatically picked up, which is in line with many experts’ forecasts that a full tourism recovery might not be seen any time soon.

Moreover, as more countries start to loosen travel restrictions, Thailand might not be the only option for tourists to choose from, but will become one of several options for those who want to venture overseas.

Source - BangkokJack

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Australia finally reopens international borders

Australia eased its international border restrictions on Monday for the first time during the pandemic, allowing some of its vaccinated public to travel freely and many families to reunite, sparking emotional embraces at Sydney’s airport.
After 18 months of some of the world’s strictest coronavirus border policies that banned citizens from either returning to the country or leaving it, unless granted an exemption, millions of Australians in Victoria, New South Wales and Canberra are now free to travel.

A flight by flag carrier Qantas Airways from Los Angeles touched down in Sydney at 6 a.m. local time, Australia’s biggest airline said, with COVID-19 vaccinated travellers allowed to walk off the plane without quarantining.

International travellers also arrived in Sydney via Singapore Airlines early on Monday.

While the initial flights are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families, it sets in motion a plan to reopen the country to international tourists and workers, both much needed to reinvigorate a fatigued nation.

Thailand is also welcoming vaccinated tourists, without quarantine, from Monday, as is Israel, in a boost to global air travel after a trying 18-month period.

Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Monday that the travel changes would immediately aid the economy.

“It’s a day for celebration – the fact that Australians can move more freely in and out of our country without home quarantine, if they’re double-vaccinated,” Frydenberg said.

Television and social media footage showed tearful family reunions, with strict travel rules previously prohibiting many people from attending significant events, including weddings and funerals.

The relaxation of travel rules is tied to rising vaccination rates with more than 80% of people aged 16 and older in Australia’s two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, fully vaccinated.

Australians and permanent residents living abroad may now return, with foreign ministry data showing about 47,000 people are hoping to do so.

Most tourists – even vaccinated ones – have to wait to come to Australia, although vaccinated tourists from New Zealand will be allowed in from Monday. Citizens of Singapore will be able to travel to Australia, without quarantine, from Nov. 21.

Unvaccinated travellers will still face quarantine restrictions and all travellers need proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding.

The change in travel rules, however, is not uniform across Australia, as the country’s states and territories have differing vaccination rates and health policies.

Western Australia, which takes in one of the world’s biggest iron ore precincts, remains largely cut off from the rest of the country – and the world – as the state tries to protect its virus-free status.

Australia previously let only a limited number of citizens and permanent residents return from abroad, with a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in a hotel at their own expense.

But the change has come as it switched a COVID-zero pandemic management strategy towards living with the virus through extensive vaccinations.

While the Delta outbreak kept Sydney and Melbourne in lockdowns for months until recently, Australia’s COVID-19 cases remain far lower than many comparable countries, with just over 170,500 infections and 1,735 deaths. – Reuters

Source - BangkokJack

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Thailand Nov 1 reopening to go ahead providing COVID-19 situation remains stable

The proposed reopening of Bangkok and other major tourist destinations in Thailand will go ahead on November 1, providing the COVID-19 situation does not worsen.

Speaking on Saturday (Oct 10) government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the reopening of Bangkok, Chiang Mai (Mueang district, Mae Rim, Mae Taeng and Doi Tao), Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin and Nong Khae), Phetchaburi (Cha Am) and Chonburi (Pattaya, Bang Lamung and Sattahip) will go ahead as long as there is not a sudden spike in cases or no large clusters are discovered between now and the end of October.

Following the reopening, the government expects to earn 1.5 trillion baht from tourism in 2022, Mr Thanakorn said.

Domestic tourists will account for 850 million baht with Thais expected to make 160 million trips next year.

Meanwhile, the government expects 15 million foreign tourists to visit Thailand in 2022, generating 650 billion baht in revenue.

Mr Thanakorn said the 1.5 trillion baht revenue target is approximately half the amount the country's tourism industry earned in 2019 before the start of the pandemic.

Mr Thanakorn also gave an update on the Phuket Sandbox, which has been hailed a success.

As of Thursday (Oct 7) 43,026 foreign tourists had visited Phuket via the Sandbox program.

Most tourists came from the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

Source - ASIAN NOW

Our VISA AGENT

#Tunisia opens its beaches for tourists after lockdown

  

Tourists are back on Tunisia’s beaches after charter flights resumed to the North African country following a break of more than three months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some 155 mask-clad holiday makers from France, Germany and Luxembourg were greeted late last week on the resort island of Djerba with temperature checks – but also by hostesses offering them bouquets of jasmine.

“We can’t save the whole season, but we will do everything we can to save part of it,” said Tourism Minister Mohamed Ali Toumi, who was at the airport to welcome the Luxair flight.

Tunisia, a country of some 11.5 million people, has officially registered 1,374 novel coronavirus infections and 50 deaths.

It reopened its borders on June 27, and travellers from countries it classifies as “green”, including France, Germany and Luxembourg, are not subject to any coronavirus restrictions.

“You have managed the health crisis better than us,” said Patrick, a Frenchman in his sixties who arrived with his son for 10 days in the Tunisian sun.

Tourism accounts for between eight and 14 per cent of Tunisia’s GDP, and employs around half a million people.

The novel coronavirus crisis has hit the sector hard.

Tourism revenues declined by around 50 per cent between January 1 and July 10, compared to the same period last year, according to official figures.

Authorities are counting on health regulations to reassure tourists and the sector, and have halved hotel capacity in order to comply with anti-coronavirus measures.

“We are determined to strictly apply the health protocol,” the tourism minister said.

Authorities are hoping for a revival of the sector in early 2021.

Elsewhere in North Africa, Morocco announced Sunday a further easing of its own novel coronavirus restrictions, allowing tourist establishments to operate at full capacity but keeping borders closed.

A “third phase” of easing was set to come into effect on Monday, authorities said in a statement, as part of “the continued implementation of measures necessary for a gradual return to normal life and restarting the economy”.

Tourist businesses are now allowed to “use 100 per cent of their capacity, without exceeding 50 per cent in common areas” such as restaurants, pools and indoor sports facilities.

But the kingdom will keep its borders closed “until further notice”, except for returning Moroccans and residents.

Since June, Morocco has allowed cafes, restaurants and shops to reopen and for domestic tourism to restart.

A state of health emergency remains in place in Morocco until August 10.

Cultural centres, libraries, museums and archaeological sites are also allowed to reopen “without exceeding 50 per cent capacity”, the statement said, and gatherings and activities with fewer than 20 people are also allowed.

Wedding parties and funeral gatherings remain prohibited, and cinemas and public pools will stay closed, a statement said.

The country of 34 million has officially registered over 17,000 novel coronavirus cases and around 270 deaths since March.

Authorities placed parts of the northern city of Tangiers back into lockdown last week after new clusters of infection appeared, and locked down the coastal town of Safi earlier in the month after an outbreak at a factory.

Source - Phnom Penh Post

UK's Heathrow Airport passenger numbers down 88% amid ongoing travel restrictions

 

 

 

 Britain's Heathrow Airport renewed its call for COVID-19 testing at airports on Tuesday as it reported an 88 percent plunge in July passenger numbers due to ongoing restrictions on travel which it said were strangling the UK economy.

Heathrow, which is owned by a group of investors including Spain's Ferrovial, the Qatar Investment Authority and China Investment Corp, said 60 percent of Heathrow's route network remained grounded, requiring passengers to quarantine for 14 days on arrival.

Despite thousands of Britons holidaying overseas after months of lockdown, the government has already reimposed quarantine on arrivals from Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra.

Last week finance minister Rishi Sunak said the government would not hesitate to add more countries to its quarantine list when asked whether France could also join it.

However, Heathrow believes airport testing of passengers could safely keep routes open and restart others to help the UK's economic recovery.

"Tens of thousands of jobs are being lost because Britain remains cut off from critical markets such as the US, Canada and Singapore," said Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye.

"The government can save jobs by introducing testing to cut quarantine from higher risk countries, while keeping the public safe from a second wave of COVID."

Over 860,000 passengers traveled through Heathrow in July - down 88 percent on the previous year, but a slight uplift in traffic since the start of the pandemic, driven by the UK government's creation of the first "travel corridors" on July 4.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Galapagos reopens tourist sites after virus lockdown’

The Galapagos Islands on Monday reopened its tourist sites and marine reserve, which had been closed since March due to the corona virus pandemic, Ecuadorian Environment Minister Paulo Proano said.

"Today, under due biosecurity protocols, we are reopening the @parquegalapagos visit sites to contribute to the revitalization of the local economy," Proano wrote on his #Twitter account.

The environment ministry said that visitors must wear masks and use disinfectant gel, adding that "in the case of recreational sites near populated ports, the maximum stay will be three hours."

The Galapagos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, partially opened its beaches for residents in May, when Ecuador began to ease its coronavirus lockdown.

Only six beaches of the Galapagos National Park were allowed to open for three-hour stretches.

The archipelago, with about 30,000 inhabitants, has recorded just 100 COVID-19 infections.

Mainland Ecuador has recorded 68,500 cases and more than 5,000 deaths, with authorities reporting 3,277 other deaths were likely from the virus as well.

The Galapagos Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador, were made famous by 19th-century English naturalist Charles Darwin's studies of their breathtaking biodiversity.

The archipelago received 271,200 visitors in 2019.

Source - The Jakarta Post

#Germany to lift travel warning to most European countries from June 15

Germany will lift its blanket travel warning for European nations from June 15, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Wednesday, as the continent looks to further ease restrictions imposed to contain the corona-virus.

Germany introduced an unprecedented warning against all foreign travel in mid-March. But with new infections sharply down, the government is looking for ways to restart the economy.

“We have decided today that the travel warning for the named circle of countries will not be continued but replaced by travel advice,” Maas said, referring to EU nations, other Schengen countries and Britain.

The individual advice will be for a total of 31 nations, “provided that there are no longer any entry bans or large-scale lockdowns in the respective countries”, he said.

The advice could still include warnings against travel to certain countries, such as Norway and Spain, which still have their own entry restrictions in place.

Germany will be watching contagion data very carefully, Maas added, saying that warnings could be reintroduced if new infections were to reach 50 per 100,000 people in a week in the country concerned.

#Germany reported just 342 new cases of the corona-virus on Wednesday – down from more than 6,000 a day at the height of new infections in March.

The #Dutch government announced it will ease warnings against non-essential foreign travel from the same date.

#Belgium reopens borders to EU travelers

Belgium announced on Wednesday that it would reopen its borders to travelers from the European Union, Britain and members of Europe's passport-free travel zone on June 15.

Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes announced the measure as Belgium emerges from a three-month corona-virus lockdown, adding that bars and restaurants would reopen on June 8.

"From June 8 everything will be allowed, with exceptions," Wilmes told a news conference after a meeting of the country's national security council.

"The virus is still among us, it is still taking victims and will probably take more, and certainly if we are not vigilant," she added, saying large gatherings would remain banned until August 31. Nightclubs also cannot open before the end of August.

Wilmes said cultural activities would continue without spectators until July 1, when cinemas and other cultural spaces can open with a maximum of 200 people. Gyms can reopen from Monday, but with no access to changing rooms.

Belgium, where the European Union and NATO are headquartered, imposed its coronavirus lockdown on March 18. With 9,522 deaths from the outbreak, including in care homes, densely populated Belgium suffered one of the world's highest per capital tolls from Covid-19.

But cases have dropped off dramatically in recent days, with just 70 new confirmed  infections reported on Tuesday, down from around 700 hospitalizations a day in late March.

Phased restart

The EU set out plans in May for a phased restart of travel this summer, with border controls eventually lifted and measures to minimise the risks of infection, like wearing face masks on shared transport.

Some countries have already started reopening their borders in a bid to revive the embattled tourism industry.

Italy reopened to travelers from Europe on Wednesday, and Austria is lifting restrictions in mid-June with Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

German tour operator TUI said Wednesday it would be resuming flights to popular holiday destinations, with the first flight scheduled for Portugal on June 17, according to news site Business Insider (BI).

“Our main destinations will be the Balearic Islands, Canaries, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus,” TUI chief executive Marek Andryszak told BI.

However, the German foreign minister, Maas, continued to urge caution.

“I know that this decision raises great hope and expectations but I want to say again: travel warnings are not travel bans, and travel advice is not an invitation to travel,” Maas said.

He also warned that Germany would not be repeating its unprecedented and costly effort to rescue stranded Germans from around the world in the first weeks of the pandemic.

In Berlin, residents were divided over whether lifting the travel warning was a good idea.

“If I fly somewhere, I will be afraid about coming back again because maybe it will get worse and they will close the borders again,” said Berlin resident Regina.

Another, Henri, was more optimistic: “There are masks, so I'm not afraid. I mean, I don't understand what this is all about anyway.”

Germany still has a travel warning in place for Turkey, Ukraine and the Western Balkans.

The government will review this after an expected European Commission decision next week on whether to extend entry restrictions for citizens of third countries, Maas said.

(France 24 with AFP and Reuters)

#Greece to open airports to arrivals from 29 countries from June 15

Greece said Friday it would reopen its airports in Athens and Thessaloniki to arrivals from 29 countries from June 15, the start of the tourist season.

Visitors would be allowed to fly into Greece from 16 EU countries, including Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Czech Republic, Baltic countries, Cyprus and Malta, the tourism ministry said in a statement.

But countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic -- such as France, Spain, Britain and Italy -- were not on the list.

Outside the European Union, holidaymakers from Switzerland, Norway, and neighboring Balkan countries such as Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia will be allowed to land at Greece's main airports from June 15.

The list also includes Australia, Japan, Israel, Lebanon, China, New Zealand and South Korea.

The ministry said that further countries could be added before July 1 when the country's regional airports also reopen.

"The list... has been drawn up on the basis of the epidemiological profile of each country," taking into account the recommendations of the European Aviation Safety Agency and a report by Greece's commission for infectious diseases, the statement said.

Some visitors will be tested at random for the virus, the tourism ministry said.

Since the start of the outbreak in March, there has been a limited number of flights arriving at Athens international airport, with passengers mandatorily tested and ordered to quarantine for 14 days.

Greece began the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions on May 4, and will start reopening its hotels next month.

It has been less severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that many EU countries, with 175 deaths and 2,906 infections officially registered so far.

Accounting for around 20 percent of Greece's gross domestic product, the tourism sector is hoping to salvage at least some of this year's summer season. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Denmark opens border to Germany, Norway and Iceland

Denmark announced Friday it would reopen its border to visitors from Germany, Norway and Iceland from June 15, but said the UK and the rest of the EU would have to wait a few more months.

"On the other side of summer we are expecting an opening for the other Schengen countries and the UK," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference.

On entry to Denmark, tourists will have to present proof of a hotel, holiday home or camp site reservation outside the capital Copenhagen for at least six consecutive nights.

Overnight stays will be banned for tourists in Copenhagen, but they will be able to visit the city for day trips.

"The ban on stays for tourists in Copenhagen is about keeping the intensity" of the virus spread down, Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup said.

"We must avoid a super spread," he added.

Optional screening tests for COVID-19 will be offered upon entry and at holiday destinations.

In 2019, Germans accounted for nearly 60 percent of all foreign visitors to Denmark, in terms of hotel nights.

Norwegians, many of whom have second homes in Denmark, account for eight percent.

Meanwhile in Oslo, Prime Minister Erna Solberg, announced that Danes would also be able visit Norway in the summer.

However both countries will remain closed to Sweden and Finland for the time being, with Norway also being closed to Icelanders.

"There are today areas in all Nordic countries with a low level of infection, but there are areas in some Nordic countries with a very high level of infection," Solberg told a press conference.

"That means we can't have a general opening between Nordic countries immediately."

The Danish border remains closed to Finland and Sweden, which will, however, be able to benefit from an agreement before the rest of the European countries.

With 430 deaths per million people, Sweden has a much higher death rate linked to the new coronavirus than that of neighboring Nordic countries Norway (43 death per million), Denmark (98), Finland (56) and Iceland (29), which have all imposed much stricter measures aimed at curbing the spread of the disease.

Both Norway and Denmark however said they were currently in talks with Sweden about opening the border between the countries.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Portugal ready to welcome back tourists, says government

 

 Portugal's doors are open to tourists, the country's Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said on Friday, one of the first European countries to welcome back visitors from elsewhere in the continent.

"Tourists are welcome in Portugal," Santos Silva told newspaper Observador, explaining that some health checks will be introduced at airports but there will be no compulsory quarantine for those flying in.

Portugal, which has so far recorded 30,200 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,289 deaths, is slowly easing restrictions in place since it locked down in mid-March.

It has been less affected than its neighbor Spain or Italy, which both plan to reopen next month.

Many shops and restaurants in Portugal have already reopened under strict restrictions as part of an effort to revive the country's export-oriented, tourism-dependent economy.

"Portugal's health system responds well, and this is very important for us to be able to welcome people," Santos Silva said.

The minister's comments came a day after British low-cost airline easyJet, which operates in various Portuguese cities, said it would restart a small number of flights next month.

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Earlier this month Portugal's flag carrier TAP resumed some of its international operations, with flights to London and Paris.

Flights to and from outside the European Union are still temporarily suspended until June 15, with some exceptions, including some routes to and from Portuguese-speaking nations like Brazil.

The Spain-Portugal land border, which has been closed to tourists since March, will also remain shut until then.

"We are gradually going to start looking at easing border controls," Internal Affairs Minister Eduardo Cabrita said on Friday.

The tourism industry, one of the hardest hit by the outbreak, contributed 14.6 percent to gross domestic product in 2018, according to the latest official data, and helped Portugal to recover from a severe debt crisis.

The sector registered a 62 percent slump in the number of people staying in holiday accommodation in March from a year ago and total hotel revenues fell by over 57 percent.

Unemployment in the Algarve region more than doubled in April compared with the same month last year as the lockdown kept foreign visitors away and wiped out seasonal jobs.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Greek tourism operators see massive drop in 2020 arrivals

Greek tourism operators on Thursday said they expect a 70-percent drop in arrivals this year after the government announced the season could restart in mid-June.

"Arrivals will be down by at least 70 percent," Greek hoteliers chief Grigoris Tasios told SKAI TV, adding that a "maximum" of eight to nine million visitors could be expected.

Irini Toliou, head of the Greek association of congress organizers, agreed with the estimate.

"We have July to September left to work, provided (the virus) does not return in September," she told state TV ERT.

According to Bank of Greece figures, the country in 2019 had over 34 million visitors producing revenue of over 18 billion euros ($20 billion).

The government on Wednesday said the  tourism period would begin on June 15 with the first resumption of international flights through Athens  airport.

Direct flights to the Greek islands will begin July 1.

Restaurants and bars are scheduled to reopen on Monday after open-air archaeological sites opened this week. Museums are to reopen on June 15.

With Greece suffering fewer than 170 COVID-19 deaths over two months into the pandemic, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday said Athen's prompt response to the virus would be a "passport of safety, credibility and health" to attract visitors.

Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis has said a list of nations resuming flights to Greece would be announced by the end of May, with a focus on reviving a travel front "from the Balkans to the Baltic."

Bulgarians and northern Europeans including Germans will be among the first visitors, the minister said, in addition to Israelis and Cypriots.

Incoming travelers will not be required to undergo virus testing or quarantine, but sample tests will be carried out in tourist areas for epidemiological purposes, the tourism minister said on Wednesday.

Still recovering from a decade-long debt crisis, Greece badly needs tourism income that directly and indirectly accounts for over a fifth of the economy.

Many operators have expressed scepticism about reopening owing to strict spacing rules.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Greece to restart tourism mid-June, international flights July 1

Greece will restart its tourism season on June 15 and gradually restore international flights from July 1 to boost its economy after the virus lockdown, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Wednesday.

With Greece suffering fewer than 170 COVID-19 deaths over two months into the pandemic, Mitsotakis said the country's prompt response to the virus would be a "passport of safety, credibility and health" to attract visitors.

"The tourism period begins June 15, when seasonal hotels can reopen, and direct international flights to our tourist destinations will gradually begin July 1," Mitsotakis said in a televised address.

"We will win the economy war just as we won the health battle," Mitsotakis said.

Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis said a list of nations resuming flights to Greece would be announced by the end of May, noting that Athens would focus on reviving a travel front "from the Balkans to the Baltic."

Bulgarians and northern Europeans including Germans will be among the first visitors, the minister said, in addition to Israelis and Cypriots.

Incoming travelers will not be required to undergo virus testing or quarantine, but sample tests will be carried out in tourist areas for epidemiological purposes, the minister said.

Greece so far has carried out fewer than 140,000 tests among 11 million.

Theocharis added that 600 beds would be specifically set aside for coronavirus care on Greek islands, which are traditionally among the country's top travel destinations.

The EU last week said holidaymakers could be asked to wear facemasks on planes, respect social distancing on the beach and even book slots to use hotel pools.

Restaurants to reopen Monday

The country, which is still recovering from a decade-long debt crisis, badly needs tourism income that directly and indirectly accounts for over a fifth of its economy.

Many operators have expressed skepticism about reopening owing to strict spacing rules.

Lockdown restrictions began to be lifted on May 4, reversing a wave of shutdowns which followed Greece's first recorded COVID-19 death on March 12.

Restaurants are scheduled to reopen on Monday after open-air archaeological sites were opened earlier this week and paid beaches over the weekend. Museums are to reopen on June 15.

According to Bank of Greece figures, the country in 2019 had over 34 million visitors and revenue of over 18 billion euros ($20 billion).

To increase Greece's appeal, tax on all transport will be reduced to 13 percent from the current 24 percent for the coming five months, the prime minister said.

And struggling businesses can be flexible with staff working hours to cut cost, he said.

The Greek finance ministry earlier on Wednesday noted that without support measures for businesses, the country could face an economic contraction of up to 13 percent this year.

The jobless rate is also expected to approach 20 percent this year.

The Greek government has announced a support package of around 24 billion euros, including EU funds, to help shore up the economy.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Italy to reopen borders for EU tourists in early June

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Italy will reopen to European tourists from early June and scrap a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, the government said on Saturday, as it quickened the exit from the coronavirus lockdown.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also said on Saturday that gyms and cinemas would soon be able to welcome the public again, as the government seeks to restart economic activity while treading cautiously amid the lingering, though waning, coronavirus.

"We're facing a calculated risk in the knowledge that the contagion curve may rise again," Conte said during a televised address. "We have to accept it otherwise we will never be able to start up again."

Conte enforced an economically crippling shutdown in early March to counter a pandemic that has so far killed nearly 32,000 people in Italy.

The shutdown halted all holidaymaking in a country heavily dependent on the tourism industry.

Although Italy never formally closed its borders and has allowed people to cross back and forth for work or health reasons, it banned movement for tourism and imposed a two-week isolation period for new arrivals.

In March, the European Union banned foreign nationals from entering its Schengen zone, an open border zone comprising 22 of 27 member states, with exceptions for medical workers and essential travel.

But on Wednesday, the EU set out plans for a phased restart of summer travel, urging member states to reopen its internal borders, while recommending that external borders remain shut for most travel until at least the middle of June.

Beginning on June 3, visitors within the Schengen zone will be allowed to enter Italy with no obligation to self-isolate. Italians will also be able to move between regions, though local authorities can limit travel if infections spike.

Movements to and from abroad can be limited by regional decree "in relation to specific states and territories, in accordance with the principles of adequacy and proportionality to the epidemiological risk", the government said in a statement.

The latest decree is also a boon to Italy's agricultural sector, which relies on roughly 350,000 seasonal workers from abroad.

Farming lobby group Coldiretti said farms were already preparing to organie some 150,000 workers from places including Romania, Poland and Bulgaria.

Cannot await vaccine 
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The peak of Italy's contagion passed at the end of March but with experts warning a second wave cannot be ruled out, Conte had been reluctant to lift the lockdown quickly.

In his address, Conte said the country should ideally await a vaccine before opening up for business again, "but we can't afford it, we would end up with a strongly damaged economic and social structure".

His approach in recent weeks frustrated many of Italy's regions, with some already allowing businesses to reopen before the restrictions were lifted.

Restaurants, bars and hairdressers are being allowed to reopen on Monday, two weeks earlier than initially planned.

Shops will also open and Italians will finally be able to see friends, as long as they live within their same region.

Church services will begin again but the faithful will have to follow social distancing rules and holy water fonts will be empty. Mosques will also reopen.

Gyms, pools and sports centers will be able to open up again on May 25, Conte said on Saturday, provided they respect security protocols.

Theaters and cinemas will be allowed to reopen on June 15, he said.

Gatherings of large groups remain banned.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Thailand - Once-pristine Thai bay from ‘The Beach’ to close to boats

The once-pristine Thai bay which became a tourist magnet after the 2000 movie “The Beach” will be closed to boats for several months to prevent further damage to its coral, an official said Wednesday.

Hordes of tourists flock daily to Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley for selfies in front of the famed limestone cliffs and blue waters, leading to complaints of environmental damage to the water and sand.

But the picture-postcard beach of the Leonardo DiCaprio film will be closed to boats from June to September this year, Worapoj Lomlim of the Phi Phi islands National Parks told AFP.

“For around 20 years the bay has welcomed boats to moor in front of the beach… but their engines have damaged coral reefs and caused problems with the sand,” he said.

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“Overcrowded tourist boats have also blocked the view,” he added, saying tourists will still be able to reach the beach by foot from an adjacent bay where boats can park.

The closure is the latest effort to mitigate damage caused by tourism, a crucial pillar of Thailand’s economy with more than 35 million travelers visiting last year.

But environmental experts and officials are worried the mass tourism is causing irreversible damage to idyllic beaches, with litter and unchecked development disrupting local ecosystems.

Smoking has already been banned on 20 of the country’s most famous beaches this high season, with a hefty fine or even jail for those who flout the new rule.

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Source - Coconuts.co