Prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has said foreigners can return to Langkawi from Nov 15, after the island reopened to domestic visitors on Sept 16.
Meanwhile, Thailand will reopen to vaccinated foreigners from tomorrow, marking further easing of border controls for Asia, where nations have been far slower to roll back coronavirus travel curbs than in much of the West.
Here is a look at countries that are opening up across the Asia-Pacific region, and those staying sealed off from the world.
- Southeast Asia
From tomorrow, Thailand will allow vaccinated travellers from 46 countries and territories to enter the kingdom without quarantining as it seeks to revive its vital tourism industry.
Other parts of the region, which largely escaped the pandemic’s initial wave only to be hit hard this year, are following its lead, albeit at a slower pace.
Singapore has started quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated travellers from 10 countries, including the United States and several European countries, with Australia and Switzerland added to the list from next month.
Indonesia reopened the resort island of Bali this month to tourists from select countries, although, with travellers still required to do a five-day quarantine on arrival, the scheme has had a slow start.
Vietnam plans to allow foreign visitors entry to the holiday island of Phu Quoc from next month, while Cambodia will reopen beach spots Sihanoukville, Koh Rong and Dara Sakor from Nov 30.
Some countries, including the Philippines and Myanmar, remain closed to foreign visitors.
- East Asia
Mainland China, where Covid-19 first emerged last year, remains closed to overseas tourists. Japan, too, has not yet reopened its borders.
South Korea has started accepting visitors from 49 countries. A negative coronavirus test is required for all arrivals, with a limited exemption from quarantine for those vaccinated in South Korea.
Some of the world’s toughest measures have been implemented in Hong Kong, with a maximum 21-day quarantine for incoming travellers, which has kept virus cases low but crippled the travel industry.
- South Asia
Recovering from a devastating surge earlier this year, India reopened to foreign tourists on charter flights this month and will allow visitors on all flights from mid-November.
Fully vaccinated travellers no longer have to undergo home quarantine, provided they are arriving from countries with which India has made reciprocal arrangements for acceptance of World Health Organization-approved vaccines.
Last month, Nepal started issuing visas on arrival for vaccinated tourists and dropped quarantine requirements as it seeks to lure back foreign trekkers to its mountains. More than a million tourists visited the Himalayan country in 2019, but numbers dropped by 80% last year.
Among the first countries to reopen borders was the popular holiday destination of the Maldives, which started allowing in foreign tourists in July last year.
The number of tourists visiting the Indian Ocean atoll nation recovered to 500,000 last year, and the authorities expect 1.5 million holidaymakers this year, just shy of the figure in 2019.
Sri Lanka opened its international borders for fully vaccinated tourists without any quarantine requirements on Oct 7, while Pakistan allows in foreign visitors as long as they have proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test.
- Australia and the pacific
Australia introduced some of the world’s toughest border restrictions in response to the pandemic, banning citizens from travelling overseas without permission. But the government has announced that the ban on outbound travellers would be lifted, with the country’s borders set to open this week.
New Zealand remains closed to foreign visitors, with no date for reopening.
The South Pacific nation of Fiji, whose economy is heavily tourism-dependent, will allow vaccinated travellers from countries across Europe and Asia to enter quarantine-free, as well as those from the US, starting from Dec 1.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
