Vaccines are rolling out all over the world, slowly but surely, which means there is hope for tourism revival. Major cruise lines, like Crystal Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Virgin Voyages, have already started selling tickets for their summer voyages and slots are moving out very quickly. While tourist-dependent countries, like Italy and Thailand, are announcing more cities to reopen in May and July. Here are some details on the countries and cruises that are making a comeback for the summer season.
The Kingdom of Thailand is set to allow fully vaccinated tourists to enter Chiang Mai, Krabi, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Phang Na, and Phuket in May 2021 with only seven days of mandatory quarantine. And starting July 1st vaccinated tourists may enter Phuket without any quarantine requirement. If this tourism experiment proves to be safe and successful, other Thai regions will follow this eased protocol.
Encouraged by the success of Greece’s COVID-free tourism bubble, the Italian government is preparing their “safest” islands in Sicily, Campagnia, and Tuscany to reopen for domestic and international travels. The government is prioritizing vaccinations for tourism workers in these islands while also working double time for their citizens to get fully vaccinated. The plan to divert tourist influx from popular Italian destinations like Rome, Milan, and Florence, to smaller islands forecasts economic recovery.
Tourism in Israel resumes starting May 23, 2021. The Israeli government reopens the country for international travels and will start accepting foreign tourists who are fully vaccinated to experience Holy Land, Tel-Aviv, and other popular destinations in Israel. However, visitors must register their planned trip and coordinate with a government-approved tour group.
Crystal Cruises reportedly sold out its first ticket sale after the pandemic shutdown. The course of the 7-day sail is around the Bahamas, which launches in July 2021. Crystal Cruises also stated that passengers are required to be fully vaccinated to go onboard.
Another cruise line, Royal Caribbean, is resuming its cruise trips from North America to Central America from June through August. Unlike Crystal, the Royal Caribbean does not require all passengers to be fully vaccinated and instead allows vaccine-ineligible vacationers under 18 to present negative RT-PCR test results.
Virgin Voyages is launching the Scarlet Lady, a cruise ship targeting millennial tourists. The Scarlet Lady embarks from Miami on July 4th and will make a few stops at open-air beach clubs in the Caribbean.
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