THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST
ASIAN WEEKLY SUMMARY TOURISM 31 JAN 2021 Hannah Pearson INDUSTRY [email protected]
INTRODUCTION
As a market highly dependent on both Chinese outbound tourism and the Chinese economy, Southeast Asia is a region which was heavily affected by COVID-19 even in the early months of 2020.
With the declaration of a pandemic, as well as the closing of borders and imposition of lockdowns, Southeast Asia’s tourism economy will continue to be impacted for the foreseeable future.
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IMPACT SUMMARY Week ending Sunday 31st January 2021 INBOUND TRAVEL OUTBOUND TRAVEL COUNTRY LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS RESTRICTIONS CASES DEATHS
Cambodia None Visa restrictions Discouraged 465 0 Indonesia Partial Restricted Permitted 1,078,314 29,998 Laos None Visa restrictions Discouraged 44 0 Malaysia Partial Visa restrictions Restricted 214,959 760 Myanmar Partial Visa restrictions Discouraged 139,864 3,125 Philippines Partial Visa restrictions Permitted 525,618 10,749 Singapore Partial Visa restrictions Restricted 59,536 29 Thailand Partial Quarantine Flight restriction 18,782 77 Vietnam None Visa restrictions Flight restriction 1,812 35 Data accurate as of 21:01 (UTC+8) on 31 Jan 2021 Partial lockdown = closure of schools or some non-essential services (e.g., entertainment), recommendation to work from home Lockdown = closure of all non-essential businesses, restricted movement COVID-19 case & death statuses from John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center VACCINE SUMMARY Week ending Sunday 31st January 2021 TYPE OF VACCINE % OF POP ESTIMATED COUNTRY Secured or In Talks DOSES SECURED COVERED ROLL-OUT SOURCES
COVAX, China; Sputnik V, India, Cambodia 20 mil 60.6% Feb 2021 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 AstraZeneca AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Indonesia Merah Putih, Novavax; Pfizer, ~ 329 mil ~ 61% Started 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Sputnik V Laos COVAX, Sinopharm, Sputnik V Not Available 20% Started 1, 2 Pfizer, China, AstraZeneca, COVAX, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Malaysia Sputnik V; Moderna, Johnson & 56.2 mil 88% Mar 2021 7 Johnson Myanmar COVAX, Covishield, China 30 mil 28.03% Started 1, 2, 3, 4 COVAX, AstraZeneca, Covovax, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Philippines Sinovac, Moderna; Sputnik, Pfizer, ~132.5 mil 61% Feb 2021 7, 8, 9 Novavax, Johnson & Johnson Singapore Moderna, Pfizer, Sinovac, local Not Available 100% Started 1, 2 Thailand AstraZeneca, Sinovac, local 64 mil 46% Feb 2021 1, 2, 3, 4 AstraZeneca, COVAX, Sputnik V Vietnam 50-150 mil 26-78% Q1 2021 1, 2, 3, 4 local; China, Pfizer
Data accurate as of 20:56 (UTC+8) on 31 Jan 2021. Sources: Various
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Cambodia’s international arrivals drop to 1.31 million in CAMBODIA 2020, down 80% YoY. On Page 4 • 9 million domestic tourists travelled in 2020, • Cambodia Association of Travel Agents urges down just 20% YoY government to take more action
Tourism Minister says Indonesia unlikely to achieve its INDONESIA 2021 target of 4-7 million international tourists. On Page 12 • Riau Islands hope for travel bubble with • 179k vaccine doses have been administered as of Singapore 25 Jan
Champassak and Oudoxmay provinces see drops in LAOS visitors of -90% YoY and -40% YoY. On Page 25 • Vaccinations for over 600 medical workers in • Vat Phou festival in Champassak province Vientiane started downsized
Luxury 5* Equatorial Penang hotel closes doors, MALAYSIA Shangri-La Penang hotels offer voluntary redundancy. On Page 30 • Agreement for 12 million Sinovac, 6.4 million • Singapore suspends RGL agreement with Sputnik V doses signed Malaysia
Vaccination drive begins in Myanmar with frontliners, MYANMAR politicians. On Page 48 • Suspension of visa issuance extended until 28 • Political tensions escalate before reconvening of Feb parliament
Travel ban on inbound passengers from countries with PHILIPPINES the new COVID-19 variant lifted from 1 Feb. On Page 56 • 2020 GDP contracts by 9.5%, worst drop in • Metro Manila to remain under General history for the Philippines Community Quarantine in Feb
RGL arrangements with Malaysia, Germany and South SINGAPORE Korea suspended for 3 months from 1 Feb. On Page 71 • 3,000 hospitality workers have now received the • 2020 international arrivals just 2.74 million, vaccine -85.7% YoY
Thailand eases restrictions for majority of country; TCT THAILAND warns additional 1 mil tourism workers could lose jobs. On Page 90 • 2020 international arrivals drop -83% to just 6.7 • EXIM Bank to propose soft loans for aviation million sector to Finance Ministry
New resurgence of locally transmitted cases threatens
VIETNAM Tet holiday season. On Page 114 • Vietnam’s Jan international arrivals up 9% MoM, • HCMC will focus on digitalisation and domestic down 99.1% YoY tourism promotion in 2020
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CAMBODIA 2020 international arrivals drop to 1.31 million, -80% YoY.
TRAVEL All visa exemptions, visas on arrival and e-visas are suspended. Travellers must RESTRICTIONS have valid medical certificates issued 72hrs prior to travel, proof of medical insurance worth up to $50k USD, be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and undertake a 14-day quarantine with a re-test on the 14th day. They must deposit $2,000 USD on arrival (IATA).
LOCKDOWN Public schools to reopen on 11 Jan. Museums, cinemas have reopened. STATUS
YoY Weekly change in flight search or booking volume for travel to Cambodia
Source: Sojern COVID-19 dashboard
TRAVEL BUBBLES & INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
NEW 29 Jan: The Chinese government has told its citizens not to gamble in Cambodia >>
23 Jan: The government has confirmed that vaccinated travellers will still need to undergo quarantine in Cambodia >>
21 Jan: Cambodia and India have agreed to start direct flights and promote closer tourism links >>
15 Jan: Cambodia will launch the Global Travel Assessment System (GTAS), to allow better border security and identify high-risk air travellers before they enter the country >>
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14 Jan: Japan has suspended its Business Track and Residence Track programs to allow overseas business travellers to visit the country, including from Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam >>
12 Jan: The Win-Win Monument will once more open to visitors after being closed due to the pandemic >>
10 Jan: Cambodia plans to launch a travel bubble with Cambodia and ASEAN + 3 countries (including China, Japan and South Korea). The Tourism Minister has said that the details are still being worked out with the Ministry of Health and the private sector >>
14 Dec: Cambodia will not shorten its 14-day quarantine >>
5 Dec: The foreign sponsorship of international arrivals will be postponed temporarily >>
30 Nov: All foreign and Cambodian arrivals must quarantine in designated government quarantine centres and will no longer be allowed to self-quarantine at home >>
13 Nov: From 18 Nov, foreign arrivals from China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, the European Union and the US who have a sponsor must have a negative certificate within 72 hours of their departure, and have a test upon arrival. They must isolate in a hotel until the results are released, then will be permitted to leave after giving a planned schedule. Diplomats must also provide a certificate stating they are free of COVID-19 within 72 hours of their departure, have a test on arrival, and wait at least 24 hours at a hotel or quarantine for their results. Those foreigners who arrive without sponsorship must now stay in a government-designated hotel for a 2-week mandatory quarantine, and are not permitted to quarantine at home >>
29 Oct: The Pacific Asia Travel Association welcomes the idea of travel bubbles with China, but also urges the government to look at Vietnam and Thailand as partners too. The Cambodia Hotels Association and the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents are also both enthusiastic at the prospect of a travel bubble with China >>
3 Sep: The charges for the COVID-19 tests for foreigners on arrival to Cambodia will be reduced to $100 USD each, with the remainder of their $2,000 USD deposit being paid back 3 days after the 2nd test has a negative result >>
5 Aug: Cambodia has lowered the cash deposit to $2,000 USD for foreign travellers on arrival. Travellers must buy a local health insurance package which will cost $90 USD and be valid for 20 days >>
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VACCINE
NEW 28 Jan: Cambodia expects 20 million vaccine doses, 11 million of which are through partners organisations and friendly nations. Phase 1 of 7 million doses is expected to arrive via COVAX, 1 million from Sinopharm and 3 million through an Australian grant. Its first 300,000 doses are expected to arrive on 1 Feb >>
22 Jan: Cambodia expects 500,000 people to be vaccinated before the Khmer New Year in April. 300,000 doses of Sinopharm should arrive in Cambodia in Feb. They are also in discussions on how to order more vaccines from China, as well as with India to obtain the Covaxin and Covashield vaccines and AstraZeneca. The COVAX vaccines to cover 20% of the population may start to arrive from Mar, and they will purchase an additional 1 million through COVAX >>
17 Jan: The PM has said that he will receive the Sinopharm vaccine first, to build trust >>
16 Jan: Cambodia will accept 1 million Sinopharm vaccines in a donation from China >>
15 Dec: Cambodia will obtain 20% of its vaccine, for about 3.2 million of the population. It will only accept vaccines which have been certified by the WHO. The WHO hope that a vaccine could be available by mid-2021. It has received $48 million USD in donations from the public >>
INBOUND
NEW 30 Jan: The Minister of Tourism encouraged the local community in Koh Prum Majarei Chrouy Banteay Ecotourism island to provide ecotourism services and contribute to the sustainable management of the island >>
NEW 30 Jan: 9 million domestic tourists travelled across Cambodia in 2020, a decline of only 20% YoY >>
NEW 29 Jan: Kampot province has seen an increase in visitors in 2020 of 0.75%. In 2020, there were 1,677,596 visitors, of which 1,610,945 were domestic and 66,651 international. Domestic tourists increased 8.51%, whilst international tourists fell by 270.75%. The province is working on the issues of traffic jams as a result of development in the province >>
NEW 28 Jan: The Ministry of Environment has said that ecotourism is a new trend for Cambodian tourism, and has achieved its goal of establishing 174 local communities in protected areas to strengthen the role of communities in environmental protection >>
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NEW 28 Jan: The government has forecast that Cambodia’s economy will grow by 4% in 2021, after a contraction of 3.1% in 2020 >>
NEW 27 Jan: Cambodia’s arrivals dropped to 1.31 million in 2020, down 80% from 2019 >>
NEW 27 Jan: Cambodia’s cyclo drivers in Phnom Penh were given a pedal-in open air screening of a film, Fathers, focusing on a cyclo driver’s struggles, as well as a $20 USD handout >>
NEW 27 Jan: Cambodia Airports has decided to make 130 employees redundant due to the steep decline in the number of flights passing through the country. Siem Reap International Airport has lost 99% of its air traffic since Apr 2020. Employees protested the layoffs, claiming that they have not been paid the proper compensation >>
NEW 26 Jan: Cambodia’s latest population census has shown that the country is now at 15.5 million >>
NEW 26 Jan: The Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA) has urged the government to take more action after 3,000 tourism businesses have permanently closed, and even those businesses which were trying to retain their staff are being forced to let them go. The Cambodia Chinese Tour Guide Association also called for the government to extend financial assistance to tour guides, as they have so far been left out from aid packages >>
NEW 26 Jan: Camboticket “roughly broke even” in Dec 2020, with a slight uptick in passenger bookings, despite a 75% drop in travellers. They are diversifying to focus more on maturing the local market >>
NEW 25 Jan: Phnom Penh is hosting a Made in Siem Reap fair over the weekend, with 19 exhibitors, sponsored by the French Chamber of Commerce, to support the city’s artisans >>
NEW 25 Jan: The government will establish a Department of Halal Affairs, something that CATA believes will play an important role in attracting Muslim tourists to Cambodia later >>
NEW 25 Jan: Cambodia and China have established an agreement to encourage vocational tourism training with work training exchanges for students and staff between the two with a tourism training centre in Koh Kong. The Ministry of Tourism has said that HR is an important area which needs further development >>
NEW 24 Jan: Preah Sihanouk are planning to establish an outdoor food court as a new tourist attraction in Sihanoukville >>
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23 Jan: The Minister of Foreign Affairs has spoken to Cambodia’s commitment to a tourism rehabilitation plan >>
21 Jan: Cambodia and Hungary have agreed to further strengthen tourism and economic ties >>
19 Jan: Passenger traffic at Cambodia’s 3 international airports dropped 81.3% YoY in 2020 >>
19 Jan: Cambodia has launched a 3-year economic diplomacy strategy (2021- 2023), which will enhance the country’s trade, tourism and culture with friendly countries >>
18 Jan: The Angkor Wat Intl Half Marathon will be held virtually instead from 6-7 Feb >>
18 Jan: The Techo Sen Russey Treb Park in Preah Vihear province will be developed as an ecotourism destination >>
18 Jan: The Phare Circus has reopened its performances in Phnom Penh >>
17 Jan: 4 prime tourism poles and 250 projects have been identified for Kep province’s tourism development masterplan. The Ministry plans to transform Kep into a high-end luxury tourism destination >>
17 Jan: The Ministry of Environment and Tour Guides Association will partner to manage tourism better in areas with potential for ecotourism >>
15 Jan: The Ministry of Tourism has said that it is proud of Cambodia for being ranked one of it the top countries in the world for fighting COVID-19, a sign that it is safe to visit >>
14 Jan: A beer festival is being planned for 30 Jan on Kampot, organised by a local hotel, to attract domestic tourists >>
14 Jan: Cambodia and Timor-Leste are seeking civil aviation cooperation between the 2 countries. They are also working on an MoU for tourism cooperation between the 2 >>
12 Jan: 1.28 million international visitors arrived into Cambodia from Jan-Nov, down 78.2% YoY. The largest source markets were China, Thailand and Vietnam. The Tourism Ministry will issue a directive on the implementation of events being held at tourism destinations, as well as an work on potential travel bubbles >>
12 Jan: The Ministry of Tourism is providing short courses to tourism workers to refresh their skills. In H2 2020, 13,000 workers had joined ministry courses. They
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expect 500,000 tourists in 2021, but the number could increase if the COVID-19 situation improves >>
12 Jan: Shinta Mani have expanded their sustainable farm projects after a successful initial project >>
11 Jan: Kirirom National Park and Prek Toal bird sanctuary have now had ticket sales rights allocated to a private company, something which has been welcomed by the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, who has said that it will further galvanise the private sector to invest in tourism >>
9 Jan: Local schools will reopen on 11 Jan as planned >>
9 Jan: Locals are concerned that Chinese backed developments in Kampot could damage the town’s heritage charm >>
7 Jan: Cambodia attended a signing ceremony for the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Tourism, enabling 32 job titles from 2 sectors, including hotel services and travel services, to be recognised regionally >>
7 Jan: The Angkor Wat International Half Marathon will take place on 24 Jan >>
7 Jan: The Tourism Ministry wants to increase the skills of tourism professionals >>
6 Jan: Cambodia has potential for bird watching tourism, and the Ministry of the Environment has said that it plays an important role in ecotourism development >>
6 Jan: The luxury Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh has opened >>
5 Jan: The Khmer Empire Marathon will be held on 8 Aug, after being postponed from 2020 >>
5 Jan: The Kampot International Tourism Port works are behind schedule, and are being urged to speed up works to allow completion by end 2021 >>
5 Jan: Cambodia saw 1.27 million visitors from 31 Dec – 3 Jan, 1.26 million domestic and 11,103 international. There were 152,119 to Kampot, 136,314 to Preah Sihanouk, 87,737 to Kep and 31,879 to Koh Kong >>
4 Jan: More Agrotourism will soon be developed in Kampong Thom province >>
3 Jan: The 7th River Festival in Battambang has been postponed until 2022 >>
2 Jan: The Ministry of Tourism announced that on New Year’s Eve, there were 699,724 tourists throughout the country. 500,166 of those were in Phnom Penh, and 51,570 in Sihanouk province >>
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1 Jan: The Angkor Archaeological Park received just 400,889 foreign visitors in 2020, down 81.8% YoY. Its revenue was just $18.65 million USD, down 81% YoY >>
25 Dec: The government has extended its financial support program for tourism workers and textile workers from Jan to Mar 2021, with $40 per month. Hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and travel agents are also exempt from monthly taxes for an additional 3 months. The Cambodia Association of Travel Agents estimates 60,000 tourism workers are unemployed, and 3,000 travel agents have suspended their business >>
1 Oct: A 6th round of stimulus measures has been announced, focusing on the garment, textile, tourism and aviation sectors. Tourism workers will receive $40 USD/ month for 3 months, whilst registered hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and travel agencies will be exempt from tax for the next 3 months. The PATA Cambodia chapter, whilst grateful for the aid, feels that a special fund should be set up for tourism businesses >>
1 Oct: The aviation sector will continue to have its minimum tax exempted from Oct to Dec 2020 for airlines, and the payment of civil aviation fees will be delated for 2 more months until the end of Dec 2020 >>
31 Jul: Tax breaks for aviation companies and tourism related businesses have been extended for another 2 months to Sep, and unemployed workers in the tourism industry will receive $40 USD/month for another 2 months >>
26 May: A 4th round of economic stimulus has been rolled out, with key measures including:
• Registered hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and tour agencies in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk, Kep, Kampot, Bavet and Poipet to be exempted from all taxes in June & July • Tourism businesses also permitted to not pay into the National Social Security Fund during business suspension • Tourism businesses exempted from renewal fees for tourism licenses in 2021 • Airline companies to benefit from exemption of minimum tax payment until July • A “Credit Guarantee Fund” of $200 million USD to ease working capital issues • Social assistance programme with cash transfers to poor families • Withholding tax rates to be reduced • Additional $300 million USD to boost key sectors (no details yet) >>
31 Mar: The Cambodian government has issued fiscal measures to support the tourism industry, including:
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• Minimum 3-month 10% tax exemption for aviation sector (until May), plus debt repayment plan can be paid in installments following suspension of operations • Tourism operators such as hotels, restaurants and aviation agencies in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Kep and Kampot are exempted from monthly tax • For employees: 20% of salary to be sponsored by the government, but must attend a 1 – 2 weeks short skills course organised by the Ministry of Tourism >>’
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/cambodia/
OUTBOUND
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/cambodia/
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INDONESIA Losses of $7.1 billion USD so far
TRAVEL Indonesia will close all borders to foreign visitors until 8 Feb 2021, with the only RESTRICTIONS exception for official visits. Domestic flights permitted.
LOCKDOWN New restrictions, Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities (PPKM) to be in STATUS place across Java and Bali until 8 Feb. Restrictions include 75% of workforce to work from home, all teaching to be conducted online, shopping malls to close by 8pm, places of worship to operate at 50% capacity, public facilities, and cultural activities closed and restaurants permitted to operate at just 25% capacity for dine-in. Essential sectors for basic needs are permitted to operate fully. Domestic travellers to Bali require an RT-PCR or antigen test.
Consumer sentiment Indonesia tourism arrivals
% change YoY
5.90%
28.90%
-
64.10%
-
87%
87.40% 86.90% 89.12% 89.22% 89.50% 88.25% 86.31%
-
------Source: YouGOV Source: Statistics Indonesia
YoY Weekly change in flight search or Share of future flight booking volume in booking volume for travel to Indonesia last 14 days to Indonesia
Source: Sojern COVID-19 dashboard Source: Sojern COVID-19 dashboard
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Total number of daily departures
Source: The Airline Flight Demand Tracker, Lufthansa Innovation Hub
TRAVEL BUBBLES & INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
NEW 30 Jan: The Tourism & Creative Economy Minister is looking at opening a program called “Free COVID-19 Corridor (FCC)” in Bali, which could allow Bali to reopen for international travellers. It would be open to only vaccinated travellers, who would still be required to undergo a rapid antigen test on arrival >>
NEW 26 Jan: Riau Islands hope that a travel bubble can be set up with Singapore to boost tourism arrivals, with exclusive resorts being designated with a segregated travel lane, such as Nongsa, Lagoi, Cempedak Island, Nikoi Island, Kepri Coral and Telunas resorts, as there are no residents there. The local government also hope to obtain SG Clean certification to convince travellers they are safe >>
22 Jan: Indonesia will extend its border closure to foreign nationals until 8 Feb >>
22 Jan: Indonesia is to lead the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Task Force, with its work expected to be completed in Q1 2021 >>
21 Jan: Indonesia has asked Singapore to discuss a partnership to set up a travel bubble between the 2 countries >>
12 Jan: The temporary ban on international travellers to Indonesia except for diplomatic and official travel has been extended until 28 Jan >>
5 Jan: The Tourism Minister has said that he plans to vaccinate 70% of Bali’s population before it reopens for international tourism. He hopes to establish a travel bubble Singapore-Bali >>
28 Dec: Indonesia will close all borders to foreign visitors from 1-14 Jan 2021, with the only exception for official visits. International travellers to Indonesia until 31 Dec must present a negative PCR test 2 days before departure and will need to undergo a PCR test on arrival to Indonesia, and be quarantined for 5 days. If the
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result is then negative on the 5th day, they will be allowed to leave quarantine. Indonesians will also need to follow the same quarantine measures >>
20 Nov: Indonesia’s new eVisa will allow business entities to sponsor foreigners to enter Indonesia for business purposes. Health clearance and round-trip tickets are required, and the visa is valid for 60 days >>
21 Oct: Indonesia and Japan will open a travel corridor for business travel, with the details finalised within a month. The requirement of a 14-day self-isolation would be relaxed to enable short term business meetings >>
12 Oct: Singapore and Indonesia have agreed a Reciprocal Green Lane for essential business and cross-border travel, with applications to start on 26 Oct. Requirements include a pre-departure and post-arrival COVID swab test, with points of entry and exit the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Batam Centre Ferry Terminal for sea travel, and Changi Airport and Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport for air travel >>
2 Oct: The Safe Corridor Initiative (SCI) between Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and South Korea’s Incheon International Airport is hoping to be able to bring in Korean tourists to the island, with a ground assessment set to take place next week, and a start date slated for later in Oct – although this will still need approval from the Indonesian government, as it involves immigration >>
17 Sep: Foreign members of mixed nationality families may now enter Indonesia after a change to their visa policy >>
21 Aug: Indonesia has signed a travel corridor deal with China for essential business arrangements, effective immediately >>
13 Aug: Indonesia and South Korea have established a travel corridor for essential business and diplomatic travel between the 2 countries, which will open on 17 Aug >>
31 Jul: Indonesia has established a travel corridor with the UAE for essential business, official and diplomatic trips, effective immediately. Travellers would be exempted for a 2-week quarantine, but they would need to undergo a COVID-19 test prior to travel. The Indonesian Foreign Minister said more agreements, such as with South Korea and China, are also being negotiated >>
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VACCINE
NEW 31 Jan: 482,145 medical workers have now received their vaccinations, with 20,810 having had their 2nd dose already. Their target is to complete 1.5 million healthcare workers by late Feb 2021 >>
NEW 27 Jan: The 2nd doses of COVID-19 are now being rolled out to health workers, With Jokowi also receiving his 2nd dose >>
NEW 27 Jan: The general public will likely start to receive their vaccinations mid- February, once medical workers have been completed. Military and public service officers would likely be vaccinated in tandem with the public. The government expects 900,000 to 1 mil people to be vaccinated per day. As of 25 Jan, 179k doses have been administered >>
22 Jan: The Tourism Minister has asked for Bali, Batam and Bintan to be prioritised for vaccines as they are the entry points for tourism to the country >>
21 Jan: Indonesia plans to start vaccinating the general public in late Apr-May >>
19 Jan: The Religious Affairs Minister is preparing for the hajj pilgrimage to depart of 15 Jun if possible and has asked for 2021 pilgrims to be prioritised for vaccination >>
14 Jan: The Minister of Health is looking at issuing a digital certificate for the COVID-19 vaccine >>
14 Jan: Indonesia may permit private companies to procure their own vaccines >>
13 Jan: China will support Indonesia to become a regional vaccine production hub, the Chinese Foreign Minister has said >>
13 Jan: The Sinovac vaccine has been given a halal certificate by the Religious Affairs Ministry >>
13 Jan: Jokowi received the first COVID-19 vaccine on 13 Jan. Other first receivers included some cabinet members, social media influencers and health workers >>
13 Jan: Vaccines via the COVAX facility will start to be available in Q2 2021 >>
12 Jan: Sinovac has sent 15 million vaccines in bulk to Indonesia, which will be developed and packed at Biofarma >>
11 Jan: Indonesia has granted emergency use to Sinovac >>
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9 Jan: The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency have indicated it would keep to its agreed timetable to authorise the vaccine and would be able to issue emergency use authorisation for Sinovac before Wednesday >>
8 Jan: Indonesia will start its vaccination program on 13 Jan, with Jokowi receiving the first shot >>
8 Jan: Sinovac’s vaccine is deemed halal by the Indonesian Ulema Council >>
7 Jan: Bio Farma has been authorised to produce 100 million doses of Sinovac >>
6 Jan: The development of the Red and White vaccine is now at 60% >>
5 Jan: Indonesia’s plan to complete the COVID-19 vaccination drive within a year as seen as too ambitious by health experts, and that the focus on this may lead to testing, tracking and treatment to be of secondary importance >>
3 Jan: A survey has shown that 81.7% of respondents would be ready to have the vaccine >>
31 Dec: Indonesia will soon receive the raw materials from China’s Sinovac to produce 15 million doses. It received a second shipment of 1.8 million doses of the vaccine on 31 Dec >>
29 Dec: Indonesia is about to finalise a contract with AstraZeneca for 50 million doses, and one with Pfizer for 50 million in the first week of Jan. It has now secured 329 million doses, with 125 million from Sinovac, 50 million from Novavax, 54 million from COVAX >>
29 Dec: Indonesia will undertake its vaccination program in 2 stages. The 1st, from Jan-Apr 2021 will be for health workers, public service workers and the elderly, whilst the 2nd will run from Apr 2021-Mar 2022, for other vulnerable people in areas with high risk of transmission >>
28 Dec: Indonesia expects to have 370 million doses from different companies by 2021, with the target of 181 million people being vaccinated >>
7 Dec: Indonesia has received its first batch of Sinovac vaccines, 1.2 million doses. The date has not yet been set for the vaccination program, but is likely to be in January, as it is still awaiting emergency approval. The government also needs to finalise the distribution systems >>
7 Dec: Indonesia is looking at procuring vaccines through COVAX, where it could gain enough for 3-20% of the country’s population >>
5 Dec: Indonesia has issued a decree to allow vaccinations from Bio Farma, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Pfizer or Moderna, but they must obtain an
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emergency use authorisation (EUA) from the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency before it can be used. It will prioritise as a first group 3.5 million frontline workers, the 2nd group 5 million religious and community leaders and local authorities, the 3rd group teachers and the 4th government officials and council members. The 5th are members of the Health Care and Social Security Agency, whose fees will be paid by the government – more than 86 million >>
29 Nov: Indonesia is carrying out simulations of its mass COVID-19 vaccination program, to ensure a smooth rollout. The government is aiming to roll out the program by the 3rd week of Dec. They have signed an agreement with Chinese pharmaceutical firms for 143 million doses, 10 million from UAE G-24 and 100 million from AstraZeneca. Its preliminary target will be to vaccine those aged 18- 59 first. Their cold chain preparation has now reached 97% completion >>
INBOUND
NEW 30 Jan: The Tourism & Creative Economy Minister has said that it will be unlikely for Indonesia to achieve its target of 4-7 million international tourists in 2021 as the borders are still closed to foreigners >>
NEW 30 Jan: Indonesia hit a record daily high of 14,518 new cases >>
NEW 30 Jan: The Tourism & Creative Economy Minister is asking the central government to provide soft loans with low interest rates to Bali businesses >>
NEW 29 Jan: Grab will hold courses for GrabCar and GrabBike drivers to enhance their basic tour guide skills. It also plans to partner with Agoda, Booking.com and Klook to offer travel packages >>
NEW 29 Jan: The Tourism & Creative Economy Minister is inviting business people and ither professionals to consider working from Bali, and is looking into policies on a “work from Bali” and “study from Bali” schemes >>
NEW 29 Jan: A total lockdown of Bali would need to have a budget allocated of $80 million USD to finance it, giving residents $1.40 per day for the lockdown duration >>
NEW 29 Jan: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Bali are calling for free tests for domestic tourists once the lockdown restrictions are eased. They also criticised the provincial government’s idea of a full lockdown, saying that it would not be economically feasible >>
NEW 29 Jan: Agoda has said that family travel is the dominant types of travellers for their customers so far in Indonesia in 2021 >>
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NEW 28 Jan: The Tourism & Creative Economy Minister is launching free virtual tours of 10 tourist villages, called Virtual Indonesia. The tours will be available via their YouTube channel every Sat and Sun from 30 Jan to 28 Feb. The villages were chosen because of their unique geography, culture and relatively unknown local experiences >>
NEW 28 Jan: Families of the Sriwijaya Air crash victims are suing Boeing for alleged manufacturing faults >>
NEW 28 Jan: Tripadvisor have named Bali at the top of their 2021 list of the World’s Most Popular Destinations, moving up from 4th place in 2020 >>
NEW 28 Jan: Hundreds living near Mt Merapi have been evacuated from their homes after eruptions >>
NEW 27 Jan: The government has issued a circular from 26 Jan to 8 Feb for domestic airlines to follow, including all passengers must wearing face masks, are restricted with conversations with fellow passengers and are not permitted to eat or drink on flights less than 2 hours, except for passengers for medical reasons. Pax must also have a negative RT-PCR or antigen test >>
NEW 27 Jan: Traveloka has released data showing that 38% of its users have chosen to book staycations, 34% culinary tours and the other 25% booking domestic flights. They also forecast that road trips will be a key trend for 2021. The 3 top destinations were Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya >>
NEW 27 Jan: Indonesia recorded a daily record in deaths, at 387 >>
NEW 27 Jan: More than 1,000 workers have been furloughed in Bali, and 200 made redundant in Jan >>
NEW 26 Jan: Indonesia’s cases have now surpassed 1 million >>
NEW 26 Jan: The Tourism & Creative Economy Minister will have an office in Bali, and work from there occasionally to keep an eye on the situation and make immediate decisions on the island’s tourism policies >>
NEW 26 Jan: Garut in West Java is reopening tourism destinations, but under a limited number of visitors to 25% of total capacity >>
NEW 26 Jan: Bali has cancelled the traditional Ogoh-Ogoh parade to mark Bali’s Nyepi festival on 14 Mar. Other limits on the festival include a maximum number of 50 pax at ceremonies, and no firecrackers >>
NEW 26 Jan: ASITA and ASTINDO have reported that members are doing very badly, with ASTINDO saying that travel agents in secondary cities such as Surabaya are suffering the worst, and many have had to downsize operations >>
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NEW 25 Jan: 2 more hotels have been added as quarantine facilities for asymptomatic patients in Bali >>
NEW 24 Jan: Indonesia will continue developing a new capital city in East Kalimantan province, but the start of construction will be delayed until after March 2022 once the vaccination program is completed >>
22 Jan: Mandalika Circuit is planning to hold a World Superbike race on 8 Nov, as well as the MotoGP, in 2021 >>
22 Jan: Jakarta Governor has asked the central government to take over the COVID- 19 relief efforts in Greater Jakarta, as the city is running out of hospital beds, and had just 13% of beds free on 30 Jan >>
21 Jan: The government has extended the lockdown restrictions in Java and Bali until 8 Feb. Malls and restaurants will be allowed to operate until 8pm, rather than 7pm >>
21 Jan: Students of Islamic boarding schools are being encouraged to share about their positive experiences of Indonesia’s halal tourism to attract more Muslim tourists to visit >>
21 Jan: Indonesia and Venezuela will collaborate to increase cooperation with tourism, with the Venezuelan tourism minister interested to pay Indonesia a visit to understand the tourism sector there >>
21 Jan: Indonesia’s population is now 271.3 million people >>
21 Jan: The official search operation for the Sriwijaya Air SJ 182 has now ended >>
21 Jan: Mt Sinabung has erupted once more, with ash being thrown 500m into the sky >>
NEW 20 Jan: The Tourism & Creative Economy Minister is looking to designate some of Jakarta’s MRT states for tourism and creative economy players to be able to promote their businesses and tourism destinations >>
19 Jan: Indonesia’s spike of 14,224 cases was due to late entry of data verification, the government has said >>
19 Jan: The Soekarno-Hatta aviation security arrested a criminal syndicate who make fake COVID-19 test results. The airport has implemented massive inspections to prevent forgeries being accepted and the use of the eHAC app to verify results >>
18 Jan: Local tourism players are objecting to the Ministry of Tourism’s tie-up with Grab and the creation of a digital tourism marketplace, rather than supporting
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existing platforms. Grab would create the Grab Travel Pass for 5 priority tourism destinations, allowing pax to book hotels, attractions and telemedical services >>
17 Jan: The Tourism Minister has said they will help MSMEs to promote their products alongside the MotoGP 2021 event >>
16 Jan: South Kalimantan has declared a state of emergency as more than 20,000 people have been forced to leave their hones due to flooding >>
16 Jan: West Sulawesi suffered an aftershock earthquake after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake, which has killed at least 56 people and injured hundreds. 15,000 people have been evacuated >>
15 Jan: Indonesia’s cases have reached a new daily high of 12,818 >>
15 Jan: The Buleleng Hotel and Restaurant Association has said that over year-end holidays, many hotels in West Buleleng were art 100% occupancy, whilst Lovina saw 40-70% and Tejakula just 5%. They have said that hotels have now received little reservations until Mar, and are calling for government assistance to help businesses >>
14 Jan: The Tourism Minister has called the vaccine a “game changer” for the tourism and creative industry, but the main principle will remain health and safety. He has said that he has developed a recovery phase plan for tourism until 2024 >>
14 Jan: Indonesia has ordered its airlines to inspect older, classic Boeing 737 aircraft, following the Sriwijaya Air plane crash >>
14 Jan: The downed Sriwijaya Air plane 182 carried out 132 flights since it left storage on 19 Dec >>
14 Jan: The world’s oldest cave painting, of a wild pig, has been found in Indonesia. It is estimated to be 45,500 years old >>
13 Jan: Bali saw a record number of new cases on 12 Jan, at 350 >>
13 Jan: China’s Minister for Foreign Affairs visited Indonesia and discussed cooperation as well as tourism >>
13 Jan: Indonesian investigators are hoping to retrieve the second black box from the Sriwijaya Air plane >>
12 Jan: The number of new cases in Indonesia has increased over 2X over the last 2 months >>
12 Jan: The government has increased airlines’ capacity back to 100% until at least 25 Jan, with the proviso that 3 rows of seats are dedicated to passengers who
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display COVID-19 symptoms. All passengers will still need to provide antigen or RT-PCR tests to fly >>
11 Jan: The Indonesian Tourism & Creative Ministry have allocated $264,285 USD for a grant to 120 hotels and restaurants in Klungkung district in Bali, but 40 have decline the offer, as it was not enough aid >>
11 Jan: Garuda Indonesia’s pax were down -75% YoY in Nov, with domestic -70.5% and international -95.8% >>
11 Jan: Indonesia’s unemployed has increased to 9.7 million, with an additional 2.7 million due to the pandemic >>
11 Jan: The government plans to build 200 tourism villages in Labuan Bajo, which will help create jobs and opportunities. It will form part of its 5 super priority destinations plan >>
10 Jan: The black boxes location of the Sriwijaya Air plane has been found, and the Indonesian military is confident that they will be recovered soon >>
10 Jan: A Sriwijaya Air plane SJ182 which went missing shortly after takeoff from Jakarta on 9 Jan has had more debris discovered with the plane’s registration number, as well as human remains. The plane took off and within 4 minutes of departure began a steep descent and stopped transmitting data 21 seconds later >>
10 Jan: Landslides in West Java have killed 11 people and many more are still missing >>
9 Jan: Indonesia has reported more than 10,000 cases for 2 days running >>
9 Jan: Mt Merapi in Central Java/ Yogyakarta provinces has released a column of hot cloud which rose 200m above the crater and 600m towards the upstream of Kali Krasak River. It is at Alert level >>
9 Jan: Jakarta has made the decision to tighten its large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) from 11-25 Jan, with active cases hitting a high of 17,383 >>
8 Jan: Java and Bali will see their restrictions tightened from 11-25 Jan, including implementation of working from home by as much as 75%, all teaching to be conducted online, shopping malls to close by 7pm, places of worship to operate at 50% capacity, public facilities, and cultural activities closed and restaurants permitted to operate at just 25% capacity for dine-in. Essential sectors for basic needs are permitted to operate fully >>
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8 Jan: Private jet operator Indojet have seen private jet bookings unaffected by the partial lockdown set to take place from 11-25 Jan, saying that “occupancy is getting higher”. The top routes include Jakarta-Bali and Jakarta-Labuan Bajo >>
7 Jan: The Christmas and New Year holidays saw 1.1 million tourists between 24 Dec-3 Jan, 65% higher than the previous 11 days >>
7 Jan: The new restrictions in place in Java and Bali are called PPKM, Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities, rather than PSBB. It will be implemented in areas which have a death rate above the national average, a recovery rate below the national average, those with active cases above 14% and hospital occupancy of above 70%, affecting: Jakarta; Bogor, Bogor regency, Depok, Bekasi, Bekasi regency, Bandung, West Bandung regency, and Cimahi in West Java; Tangerang, Tangerang regency, and South Tangerang in Banten; Semarang, Solo, and Banyumas in Central Java; Gunung Kidul regency, Sleman regency, and Kulonprogo in Yogyakarta; Malang and Surabaya in East Java; and Denpasar and Badung regency in Bali >>
7 Jan: Bali has extended its requirements for a negative PCR test or antigen rapid test from 9 Jan for all inbound domestic travellers. The test must be from within 7 days of travel, but air travellers can now use an antigen test as an option, rather than just the RT-PCR test which was required over the year-end holidays >>
7 Jan: Doing things that matter or make a difference is what Indonesians are most looking forward to for travel in 2021, according to a new survey from Agoda. Travelling sustainably and supporting less touristy destinations is also important >>
6 Jan: 366,000 people visited Bali between 17 Dec-3 Jan >>
6 Jan: The Tourism Ministry is expected to facilitate investment for the tourism sector by introducing tax holidays or other incentives >>
6 Jan: The expansion of areas of the Komodo National Park which are now being zoned for tourism developments is worrying the locals and ecologists >>
5 Jan: The Transportation Ministry said that there was a significant drop in land transportation over the year-end break compared to last year, to 5.6 million, whilst ferry transport decreased by 47% and air travel by 42% to 2 million >>
5 Jan: The Tourism Minister has forecast 7 million arrivals in 2021 >>
5 Jan: The Tourism Minister has asked sports tourism to be expanded, with a commitment from golfing communities of sports events. He also suggested that triathlons be expanded to the 5 super-priority destinations, as well as marathon events >>
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4 Jan: Indonesia’s economy is predicted to grow by 6% in 2021, according to Oxford Economics >>
4 Jan: Indonesia’s Nov foreign arrivals fell by 86.31% YoY to 175,313, whilst it increased on a monthly basis to 13.9% >>
4 Jan: Jakarta’s transitional PSBB has been extended until 17 Jan >>
4 Jan: A cash assistance program is set to be rolled out in stages, including assistance with basic food from Jan-Dec and cash social assistance of 300,000 IDR/ month per household from Jan-Apr >>
4 Jan: A marine ecosystem project, the Indonesia Coral Reef Garden, has planted corals and underwater structures across 7 hectares of the Bali Sea >>
4 Jan: Nusa Dua and Mandalika Bali were among the top destinations for domestic tourists to Bali over the year-end >>
4 Jan: The government decision to ban inbound arrivals for 2 weeks has worried tourism players, who are concerned it could be extended further >>
3 Jan: Indonesia has added 7,203 new cases in 24 hours >>
1 Jan: The Tourism Minister has suggested that people undertake staycations if they want to travel, rather than travel further afield, during the New Year holiday >>
24 Nov: The Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy (MoTCE) have launched a new domestic stimulus program, Big Promo, to attract domestic tourists to 12 locations across Indonesia. There will be 50,000 vouchers available which include a 225,000 IDR voucher for staycations, tours and attractions, a 100,000 IDR meal voucher and a 75,000 IDR shopping voucher. The vouchers can be redeemed when buying hot deals on the website bigpromo.co.id, and have 1,208 subsides packages for sale as of 17 Nov. Industry players are happy with the launch, but regret that it kicked off so late >>
14 Oct: The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry has said that it wants to disburse $224 million USD of grants for tourism businesses and local administrations, sourced from the government’s national economic recovery fund. It will be provided to regions where revenue from hotel and restaurant tax was at least 15% of its locally generated income in 2019, and for the government’s 10 priority tourism destinations and 5 super priority destinations. 70% of the grants will be given to businesses, 30% to local administrations. They will also allocate 119 billion IDR for businesses to obtain CHSE certification >>
13 Aug: 3.8 trillion IDR has been allocated to support the tourism sector and creative economy through a number of initiatives, including subsidy and income
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tax allowance. Indonesia’s foreign tourists is expected to drop to 5 million vs. 2019’s 16 million, and 120 million domestic tourists vs 2019’s 303 million >>
30 Jul: The government is to provide cash transfers of $165 USD to 10-12 million MSMEs and working capital loans of 2 million IDR >>
23 Jul: The Tourism Minister has proposed that tourism businesses be fully exempt from corporate income tax, as well as increase the limit for working capital loans. The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association estimates that Indonesia’s tourism revenue has lost 85 trillion IDR as of mid-July. The Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Ministry has also instructed its related agencies to spend their 4.1 trillion IDR business trip budget in 8 designated tourist areas: Banyuwangi, Bali, Borobudur Temple, Lake Toba, Riau Islands, Labuan Bajo, Likupang and Mandalika >>
4 Jun: Indonesia unveiled a stimulus package of $47.6 billion USD, with an aim to strengthen the healthcare system, support businesses from bankruptcy and boost consumer consumption >>
13 May: The government will provide a $1.68 billion USD stimulus package for tourism that will include airfare and hotel discounts in Q3 to boost consumption by the middle class >>
29 Apr: 5 schemes have been introduced to support MSMEs, including tax incentives, loan restructuring, emergency working capital assistance, amongst others, helping 23 million companies >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/indonesia/
OUTBOUND
21 Jan: Singapore Airlines and SilkAir passengers in Jakarta and Medan are now able to book pre-departure tests and receive their results in a one-stop portal, as part of IATA’s Travel Pass framework >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/indonesia/
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LAOS Could lose up to $500 million USD in tourism revenue.
TRAVEL International scheduled and chartered flights are suspended. Fast-track RESTRICTIONS immigration started with China on 1 Nov.
LOCKDOWN Businesses are allowed to reopen from 18 May, and transport and interprovince STATUS movement is allowed again. Schools reopened. Indoor and outdoor sporting activities are allowed to take place. From 2 Jun, night markets, restaurants and cinemas to be reopened. Entertainment venues such as karaoke are now permitted to reopen. Social gatherings permitted.
TRAVEL BUBBLES & INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
29 Dec: Laos has suspended charter flights to and from all other countries until 23 Jan to prevent a second wave from incoming travellers >>
1 Dec: Laos and Vietnam resumed international commercial flights, with Vietnam Airlines operating the flights between Hanoi-Vientiane >>
29 Oct: Vietnam and Laos have held bilateral talks where they discussed a need to reopen travel between the 2 of them and restart commercial flights, amongst other issues >>
28 Oct: Laos’ agreement for a fast-track immigration with China will begin on 1 Nov – Chinese nationals will need to test negative on arrival and to have been quarantined for 14 days in China prior to departure, as well as 48 hours on arrival in Laos. They will be permitted to enter via the Boten border gate, but it is a one- way agreement, with Laotians not permitted to enter China. A fast-track entry for Vietnam is expected to open a week later >>
15 Oct: The National Taskforce will allow returning residents to complete quarantine in their homes or places of employment instead of designated centres. They must first wait 48 hours on arrival for their test results to come back negative. Tour groups must carry certification of a 14-day pre-flight quarantine, and a negative test result to be allowed entry >>
12 Oct: Tour operators who wish to bring in tour groups to the country from destinations with no community outbreak of COVID-19 must seek permission from the Taskforce Committee >>
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2 Oct: The government has agreed in principle to allow tour groups to visit Laos from countries where there are no community cases. It has also agreed in principle to resume charter flights with countries that have no outbreak. They are also continuing discussions with China and Vietnam for fast-track immigration policies. Quarantine will also be relaxed for those arriving from countries with no community outbreak, who will only need to be tested and wait 48 hours for the results – they will then be able to quarantine at home or in a place arranged by their employer. A basic fee for tests will also be implemented. Tourist visas will continue to be suspended >>
23 Aug: Laos and Japan have agreed to open their borders to one another for expatriate and long-term residents as early as Sep. Travellers must stay at home or at a designated place after arriving for 14 days. Laotian students with Japanese government scholarships will also be allowed entry as soon as possible. Japan also pledged $18 million USD to refurbish schools in Laos. They will also speed up talks to allow essential business travel >>
VACCINE
NEW 27 Jan: Laos has started vaccinations for over 600 medical workers in Vientiane with the Sinopharm vaccine. They expect to vaccinate 1.5 million this year, around 22% of its population, and reach 70% by 2023 >>
22 Jan: Russia has delivered a batch of the Sputnik V vaccine >>
12 Jan: Laos is in negotiation with Russia to obtain 2 million vaccines within a year >>
6 Jan: Laos has said that the first vaccines administered have had good results, and will schedule more frontline medical staff next week >>
31 Dec: Laos has received 2,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China, and has already started to vaccinate 200 volunteers as the 1st phase of its trials. Russia has also said it will provide 500 doses of the Sputnik V in early Jan >>
24 Dec: 20% of Laos’ population is expected to be vaccinated by mid-2021, with at-risk groups prioritised. They will receive the vaccine in Apr through COVAX >>
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INBOUND
NEW 27 Jan: Champassak province has received just 117,000 visitors in 2020, down 90% YoY, but it continues to try to revive tourism and upgrade visitor attractions. Oudomxay province recorded 100,000 visitors, a drop of 40% YoY in 2020. The province is also looking to speed up improvements to its accommodation and organise new activities to attract visitors >>
NEW 25 Jan: Attapeu Province is preparing lockdown if necessary after a case was detected in Champassak province >>
NEW 25 Jan: The Vat Phou festival in Champassak province has been downsized >>
22 Jan: Bokeo province’s Golden Triangle SEZ has been placed under a 2-week lockdown until 25 Jan after a Chinese worker tested positive >>
22 Jan: The Phathat Sikhottabong festival in Khammuan province from 26-29 Feb will be scaled down. Last year, 300,000 visitors came to the province, a drop of 30% YoY >>
21 Jan: The Skills for Tourism Project have developed 2 guides to help vocational colleges, the “Good Practice Guide for Internships” and the “Education Enterprise Engagement Manual” >>
19 Jan: The 15th Elephant Festival in Xayaboury will be scaled down and held on just 1 day, 13 Feb >>
19 Jan: Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy National Protected Area in southern Laos will become a national park soon, and the private sector will be encouraged to develop ecotourism projects to generate income for locals, as well as to protect the forest >>
19 Jan: Centara will open 2 new resorts in Vang Vieng, Laos, the Centra by Centara Riverside Resort Vang Vieng and the Thavisouk Riverside Resort & Spa Vang Vieng >>
19 Jan: Viengxay’s tourism facilities remain open, even though there are few visitors. The province aims to promote itself as a green destination >>
19 Jan: The National University of Laos has launched a new curriculum which will held the teaching of French and subjects related to tourism >>
18 Jan: The Laos-China Railway has now completed 242km of track, and is expected to complete the tracks by May 2021 >>
18 Jan: Laos is targeting $3.8 billion USD for the tourism industry over the next 5 years, with 15 million visitors once the pandemic is under control. If Laos does not
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have enough vaccines, it will aim for $1.5 billion USD and 6 million arrivals. The number of international arrivals to Laos in 2020 was estimated to be 980,000 >>
16 Jan: Laos’ unemployment rate grew to 20% in 2020, a 10.6% increase vs 2017 >>
15 Jan: Several provinces are benefiting from the Lao Thiao Lao tourism campaign, with Oudomxay reporting 3,000 people visiting the province in one month. Champassak province has also earned more revenue during the campaign >>
15 Jan: Laos’ current PM, Thoungloun Sisoulith, has been elected Laos’ new secretary general during the 3-day congress >>
13 Jan: Laos has affirmed 6 new targets under the 9th Socio-economic Development Plan for 2021-2025: maintain steady economic growth, ensure people are better qualified with training, improve people’s living conditions, strengthen infrastructure and enhance efficiency of state management >>
13 Jan: Pakxong district in Champassak province is having a new urban design plan implemented >>
13 Jan: Vangvieng will speed up the development of its services and facilities, as well as add more activities at tourist sites >>
13 Jan: The Laos-China Railway stations should have their final embellishments in Mar/ Apr, ahead of the opening in Dec >>
12 Jan: Phu Bia Mountain will be developed as a sustainable tourist attraction, with the development of the site valued ay $500 million USD. It will include homestays, climbing, cycling and a 5* hotel >>
8 Jan: Visitors to Luang Prabang were down 68% YoY in 2020, with just 257,647 visitors. 142,435 were foreigners, whilst 133,212 were domestic >>
7 Jan: The National Eld’s Deer Sanctuary in Savannakhet Province is now open for tourists to stay overnight, with a forest tour and activities >>
7 Jan: Vang Vieng saw a fall of 60% in its visitors in 2020, and are aiming to attract 300,000 visitors in 2021. Despite the newly opened highway from Vientiane, occupancy remains high on the weekends only >>
7 Jan: Vientiane is planning to develop smart zones in the city, aiming to make the city more liveable >>
6 Jan: The completion of a new airport in Huaphan province has been delayed for a 3rd time due to budgetary constraints >>
6 Jan: Construction of a 5th bridge linking Laos and Thailand has begun >>
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5 Jan: Luang Prabang is set to build a new park in the city, adding more green space >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/laos/
OUTBOUND
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/laos/
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MALAYSIA Forecast RM100 billion in losses in 2020
TRAVEL Passengers not allowed to enter Malaysia (except Malaysian nationals, permanent RESTRICTIONS residents, work pass, international students and MM2H permit holders). 10-day quarantine in designated centres on arrival. Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) with Singapore opened 17 Aug.
LOCKDOWN “Movement Control Order” (MCO) until 4 Feb in all states except Sarawak. Under STATUS MCO, schools remain largely closed, only 5 business sectors allowed to open and inter-district and interstate travel banned. Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in Sarawak, with more lenient conditions, but MCO imposed in 3 Sarawak districts. Mask wearing in crowded places obligatory.
Consumer sentiment
Source: YouGOV
Total number of daily departures
Source: The Airline Flight Demand Tracker, Lufthansa Innovation Hub
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YoY Weekly change in flight search or booking volume Share of future flight booking for travel to Malaysia volume in last 14 days to Malaysia
Source: Sojern COVID-19 dashboard
TRAVEL BUBBLES & INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
NEW 30 Jan: The Malaysia Aviation Group has said that they are in talks with the local authorities on the implementation of a “health passport” >>
NEW 30 Jan: The Reciprocal Green Lane arrangements with Malaysia, Germany and South Korea will be suspended for 3 months from 1 Feb, due to the high case numbers >>
NEW 26 Jan: Johor has been told that they can bring up the issue of vaccinated Malaysians working in Singapore being exempted from quarantine on their return to Malaysia >>
NEW 25 Jan: Only 50% of Malaysian workers have come back to Singapore for work since the borders reopened 5 months ago >>
23 Jan: There were queues at the Singapore-Malaysia border after the mandatory tests were imposed by Singapore for entry >>
22 Jan: Malaysians working in Singapore are still permitted to return to Malaysia under the PCA, but must undergo quarantine on arrival back to Singapore >>
14 Jan: Japan has suspended its Business Track and Residence Track programs to allow overseas business travellers to visit the country, including from Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam >>
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12 Jan: The Reciprocal Green Lane and Periodic Commuting Arrangement with Singapore will continue during the MCO period >>
9 Jan: Malaysian citizens with Permanent Resident status in Singapore are now eligible to use the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) between the 2 countries from 11 Jan >>
4 Jan: The Malaysia Association Tour Agency (Mata) is calling for the borders to reopen, saying that the country is “ready to welcome tourists from green zone countries”, whilst the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has said that the government needs to look into standardising protocols with targeted countries >>
3 Jan: Malaysia and Singapore are in talks on standardising protocols for those who need to travel between the 2 countries on compassionate grounds >>
22 Dec: International students will be allowed entry into Malaysia from 1 Jan, except for those from the UK >>
13 Dec: The quarantine period for those entering Malaysia will be shortened from 14 to 10 days >>
20 Nov: Foreign spouses of Malaysian citizens from 23 countries which are barred from entering Malaysia will now be able to enter the country with the Immigration Department’s permission >>
28 Oct: Malaysian students will be permitted to return abroad for their studies, and may be accompanied by their parents >>
4 Oct: Foreign students will not be allowed to enter the country until 31 Dec, even if they have already received approval, the Immigration Dept has announced. The physical registration and learning of students in Oct 2020 intake has been postponed >>
12 Sep: The regulations for Malaysians travelling outbound has been updated and Malaysian diplomats and their families, students who study overseas and Malaysians who are long-term passholders of another country do not need prior approval to leave. Those categories which do need approval include Malaysians with job offers abroad, those attending MICE, parents who will accompany their children for studies and those with family emergencies. Leisure outbound travel is still not permitted for Malaysians >>
3 Sep: Malaysia will extend a ban on citizens from countries with more than 150,000 cases of COVID-19 from 7 Sep. Amongst those countries banned are the US, UK, France, Spain, Saudi Arabia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines.
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Malaysians returning home from those countries will be permitted, but must undergo the 14-day quarantine >>
25 Aug: Foreign spouses and children of Malaysians will be allowed to enter the country >>
4 Aug: The Malaysia My Second Home (M22H) scheme has been temporarily frozen, to re-evaluate the programme >>
1 Aug: Further requirements have been revealed for the cross-border travel arrangement between Singapore and Malaysia, including for the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) having documentation from their companies or host agencies to show that the visiting country has approved the trip and be tested before and on arrival. Travellers must stay in their declared accommodation until negative test results are released. Those on short visits of up to 14 days must follow a controlled itinerary for their stay and not use public transport. Those on the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) can do so only via the land borders and travellers entering Singapore must serve a Stay Home Notice (SHN) of at least 7 days and have a COVID-19 test >>
15 Jul: The Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) will be limited to 2,000/ day initially, whilst the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) will allow 400 people per country on a weekly basis >>
14 Jul: Malaysia and Singapore have agreed 2 schemes for reopening the borders, to start on 10 Aug:
1. Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL), for essential business and official purposes. Travellers would need to undergo PCR swab tests 2. Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) for Malaysian and Singapore residents who hold long-term immigration passes for business and work purposes in the other country, to enter for work. They will be able to briefly return to their home country after 3 consecutive months of working >>
VACCINE
NEW 28 Jan: Malaysia and Australia will work together to develop a vaccine >>
NEW 27 Jan: The government will vaccinate 75,000 people/ day once the vaccinations start as its first target, expanding this to 150,000 depending on the vaccine supply. Malaysia aims to complete >>
NEW 27 Jan: Malaysia’s first clinical vaccine trial from China's Institute of Medical Biology Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMBCAMS) is now underway >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
NEW 26 Jan: Malaysia has signed an agreement for 12 million doses of Sinovac/ CoronaVac from Pharmaniaga, expected to start arriving in Feb, and 6.4 million doses of Sputnik V from Duopharma, expected to start arriving in Mar >>
NEW 25 Jan: The Health Ministry is aiming to complete vaccination by the end of this year or early 2022. The first phase in March-May would include 500,000 vaccines for frontline workers >>
18 Jan: Malaysia is confident that 80% of its population will be vaccinated by Q1 2022, and they are on track to start the first batch in Mar >>
15 Jan: Frontliners, senior citizens and chronic illness sufferers will be first in line for the Pfizer vaccine, which should be received before the end of Feb 2021. Pfizer will deliver 1 million doses in Q1 2021, 1.7 million for Q2, 5.8 million in Q3 and 4.3 million in Q4. However, healthy adults under 60 are unlikely to receive the vaccine before Q3 >>
12 Jan: Malaysia’s Pharmaniaga has signed a deal with Sinovac to purchase ready- to-fill vaccines and later manufacture them domestically >>
12 Jan: The Sinovac vaccine is expected to be sufficient to vaccinate 22% of Malaysians in the country, and would be distributed by end of Mar. The government hopes to finalise the deal by the end of next week for 14 million doses >>
1 Jan: Malaysia will buy an additional 12.2 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, giving Malaysia enough vaccines to inoculate 39% of its population. Combined with 6.4 million from AstraZeneca and 6.4 million from COVAX, this would bring the total to 60% of its population covered >>
11 Jan: Selangor state plans to buy up to 5 million doses for its residents >>
9 Jan: Malaysia is aiming to complete vaccination of 70-80% of its population within 18 months, including Malaysians and foreign workers. Phase 1 would be for 500,000 people (300,000 healthcare workers and 200,000 frontliners), phase 2 for 3 million senior citizens and 3.2 million people with co-morbidities in Q2 and phase 3 in Q3 for the general population >>
8 Jan: The government has said that Malaysians will not be able to choose the vaccine they want, and will be allocated instead according to storage requirements and the vaccination centre >>
5 Jan: Vaccination will not be mandatory in Malaysia >>
3 Jan: 1 million frontliners and high-risk individuals will start to be vaccinated from Feb, in the first phase of the program. The 2nd phase will be from Apr/ May, with 6.2 million doses of the vaccine deployed >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
23 Dec: Malaysia is in talks with Pfizer to boost its purchases for another 20% of the population. It is also in final negotiations with Sinovac for 14 million doses, CanSino for 3.5 million and Sputnik V for 6.4 million doses, and in talks with Moderna and Johnson & Johnson >>
23 Dec: Malaysia has signed a deal with AstraZeneca for 6.4 million doses, due to arrive in H1, covering an additional 10% of the population >>
23 Dec: The COVID-19 vaccine is permissible for Muslims, the Religious Affairs Minister has said >>
27 Nov: Malaysia has signed a deal with Pfizer Inc to obtain doses for 6.4 million people, so long as it is approved by the US FDA and Malaysian drug regulators >>
INBOUND
NEW 31 Jan: Two more districts in Sarawak, Song and Kapit, will be under MCO from 2- 14 Feb >>
NEW 31 Jan: The National Union of Hotel, Bar and Restaurant Workers Peninsular Malaysia have said that its 8,000 members are in distress, not receiving salaries on time or forced to take unpaid leave. They have said they are saddened that the government did not include them in the financial stimulus packages >>
NEW 30 Jan: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) have criticised the newly launched National Tourism Plan launched in Dec, saying that it does not address many of the issues in the industry, nor give a clear plan to reinvigorate the tourism industry. They also said there was no formal consultation with key industry leaders to create such a document >>
NEW 30 Jan: Kuala Lumpur International Airport achieved a score of 5.0/5.0 in the global Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey by Airports Council International (ACI) >>
NEW 30 Jan: Malaysia Airlines is now operating at an 85% reduction of its pre-COVID levels >>
NEW 29 Jan: The Malaysian Association of Hotels Johor Bahru has said that the news of Penang hotels closing has “sent chill waves”, but “it comes as no surprise.” >>
NEW 29 Jan: The High Court will decide on 19 Feb whether creditors can intervene in AirAsia X’s restructuring >>
NEW 28 Jan: All businesses which are allowed to operate under the MCO will be permitted to stay open until 10pm >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
NEW 28 Jan: Moody’s rating agency affirmed that Malaysia will keep its A3 rating, with a stable outlook >>
NEW 28 Jan: LokaLocal are successfully running their VR platform, launching 160 virtual tours across Malaysia and different tourism sectors >>
NEW 27 Jan: Shangri-La Hotels Malaysia has offered a voluntary separation scheme (VSS) for the Golden Sands Resort as well as the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang in Batu Ferringhi, Penang >>
NEW 27 Jan: Tourism Selangor has been criticised by environmentalists after sharing a video which promotes trapping birds >>
NEW 27 Jan: The SME Association of Malaysia has urged the government not to implement a full lockdown, and instead implement strict measures and tracing systems for those undergoing home quarantine >>
NEW 27 Jan: Sarawak has extended the MCO on Sibu division and the CMCO across the whole state until 14 Feb >>
NEW 27 Jan: MCO 2.0 will pose further challenges for the SME tourism sector, the government’s chief statistician has said >>
NEW 27 Jan: Chinese New Year will have its own set of restrictions, with a maximum of 20 people gathering together likely to be the cap, and no interstate travel >>
NEW 27 Jan: The Association of Ex-Staff of Tourism Malaysia (AESTOM) has urged the government to restore the operational autonomy of Tourism Malaysia’s Board, and ensure there is representation from all areas of the industry >>
NEW 27 Jan: The Malaysian Tourist Guides Council has urged the government to open state borders, which would help stimulate all industries, not just tourism >>
NEW 26 Jan: Tourism Malaysia have launched a new campaign in Canada, ‘Book Now Travel Later, Malaysia Awaits You’ >>
NEW 26 Jan: The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang have said the closure of the Hotel Equatorial Penang is just the start of hotel closures on the island, and "if this goes on any longer, it is only a matter of time before more hotels cease operations.” Hotels are reporting just 2-4% occupancy rates >>
NEW 26 Jan: The former Finance Minister has said that the government does not understand the critical state that the tourism industry is in and that the government’s predicted occupancy rates of 58.4% are absurd >>
NEW 26 Jan: A new online hotel booking platform, JustTonite, has launched in Malaysia, specialising in last-minute bookings to help the industry dispose of inventory >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
NEW 25 Jan: AirAsia expects to start flying back to “a large part” of its routes by end- 2021, but passenger capacity will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2023. Tony Fernandes said that they are still looking at raising RM2.5 billion for the whole group and whilst they are a “little behind schedule”, the amount’s “exactly where we want to be.” Airbus orders remain, but will be deferred to later >>
NEW 25 Jan: The Malaysian Budget Hotel Association (Mybha) have said that budget hotels are willing to be turned into low-risk quarantine centres, allowing the authorities to monitor patients as well as generate income for hotels >>
NEW 25 Jan: The 5* Equatorial Hotel Penang will close permanently by 31 Mar >>
NEW 24 Jan: Kedah Tourism have said that they will continue tourism promotion through social media despite the MCO. They have observed that visits to Baling and Yan districts in the state increase “tremendously” every time inter-district travel is permitted >>
NEW 24 Jan: EuroCham have denied that the government is considering a complete lockdown, and that the leaked memo was designed for members only >>
24 Jan: EuroCham have warned its members that the government is considering a total economic shutdown if the cases are not starting to be under control by 4 Feb >>
23 Jan: More sectors will be considered essential services in states under MCO, including film editing and e-commerce >>
23 Jan: The decision to allow only SPM and STM students back to school in areas under MCO is “balanced”, making up around 20% of the student population >>
23 Jan: Tourism and creative businesses in Penang can now apply for funding assistance through PEKA 2.1 >>
23 Jan: Government linked companies who own hotels are being encouraged to open them for use as quarantine hotels >>
22 Jan: Tourism Malaysia participated in a Southeast Asia Virtual Roadshow organised by AVIAREPS, with 4 booths representing DMCs, hotels and theme parks >>
22 Jan: Malaysia has extended its MCO until 4 Feb for Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan, Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Kelantan and Sabah, to align the timelines nationwide >>
22 Jan: Melaka state government wants to regulate condominiums being turned into Airbnbs, hoping that upcoming projects will be required to be focused solely on residential purposes >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
21 Jan: The Malaysian Aviation Commission have said that air traffic rights applications in Q4 increased 233% QoQ. It approved 40 of 43 air traffic right applications in Q4, including 26 for domestic flights and 14 for international >>
21 Jan: Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau held its 4th Annual Penang Roadshow in India for Chennai travel agents on 20 Jan virtually >>
21 Jan: AirAsia is seeking a private placement of 20% of its shares to raise RM454.51 million. It aims to operate 65-70% of its pre-COVID capacity by 2021 >>
21 Jan: The Health Ministry is aiming to increase its testing capabilities to 150,000/ day >>
21 Jan: The Bumiputera Tourism Operators Association of Malaysia (Bumitra Malaysia) have appealed to the government to extend the PERMAI package, including a more robust wage subsidy scheme and a loan repayment moratorium >>
20 Jan: Sarawak has ordered all social events and gatherings to stop, after a triple digit increase >>
20 Jan: Malaysia Airports have put aside RM400 million in CAPEX for 2021, with the bulk of it earmarked for upgrading aerotrains, baggage handling systems, facial recognition and AI adoption >>
20 Jan: Malaysia Aviation Group, parent of Malaysia Airlines, has had approval from the UK court to proceed with a part of its debt restructuring and call a meeting of creditors to consider the proposed arrangement. The airline expects the discissions to be completed by end Mar. Its debt restructuring plan is based on a long-term business plan which would see Khazanah Nasional injecting new capital to keep it afloat until 2025 >>
20 Jan: AirAsia has said that it is delaying its Airbus orders, rather than cancelling them altogether, but did not specify whether this applied to AirAsia Group or AirAsia X >>
19 Jan: All states except for Sarawak will be put under the Movement Control Order from 22 Jan to 4 Feb >>
19 Jan: Malaysia Airlines has received a 7-stars rating from Airline Ratings for its COVID-19 health and safety measures >>
19 Jan: The Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers’ (MACEOS) has criticised the government’s new PERMAI package, saying that it was “not enough”. They called instead for wage subsidies up to 50%, and believe that many business events industry companies are “on the brink of winding up” >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
19 Jan: Melaka Tourism Business Club is concerned that undocumented migrant workers are coming into the state >>
19 Jan: The Finance Ministry has said that the government expects to lose RM600 million daily during MCO 2.0, as opposed to the RM2.4 billion daily from Mar-May 2020. They are maintaining their GDP forecast for 2021 >>
19 Jan: The Sabah Tourist Association has said that the PERMAI package does nothing to assist their members and called for a review >>
19 Jan: The Malaysia Budget Hotel Association have said that the PERMAI package is not sufficient, and the Malaysian Association of Hotels has said that it “fell short of the industry’s expectations” >>
18 Jan: The Malaysian Tourist Guides Council have called for more to be done to support tour guides, although it welcomes the one-off RM500 gesture from the government >>
18 Jan: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and culture are planning to submit a proposal for “Malaysian breakfast” to be included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list >>
18 Jan: The PM unveiled a new financial assistance program, PERMAI, worth RM15 billion. Key initiatives for the tourism industry include:
• Banks to continue to offer loan moratoriums • One-off RM500 grant to 14,000 tourist guides • Discount of 10% on electricity bills from Jan-Mar 2021 for 6 business sectors, including hotel operators, theme parks, convention centres, shopping malls, local airline offices as well as travel and tour agencies >>
18 Jan: Under PERMAI, the Wage Subsidy Programme 3.0 will be improved, with all employers in MCO areas eligible to apply, regardless of the sector. Employers can receive a RM600 subsidy for each employee earning less than RM4,000 for one month. The government will also speed up the implementation of microcredit schemes >>
18 Jan: Seremban and Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan will be under MCO from 19 Jan to 1 Feb >>
18 Jan: The Sarawak Tourism Board have launched Sarawakian themed ang pow packets for Chinese New Year, featuring buffalo racing at the traditional Babulang festival >>
18 Jan: AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes has said that the “coordination on Covid-19 is horrific” across governments >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
18 Jan: Malaysia Airports is looking to roll out phase 1 of its ‘Single Token Journey’ plan, which would see facial recognition replacing physical travel documents. The airport would expect it to take just 5 secs, shortening the journey. Phase 1 would take place in H1, with 50 self-check in kiosks, 20 check-in counters and 56 e-gates at KLIA Terminal 1 and 2. Passengers would also be able to enrol their facial authentication with the MYAirports app before they arrive at the airport >>
17 Jan: The Malaysia Budget Hotels Association has demanded fast action from the government to assist tourism players, with increased wage subsidies and tax incentives >>
16 Jan: Malaysia hit a new record daily case high of 4,029 >>
16 Jan: Sarawak will place 11 of its 12 districts under Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) from 18 Jan for 2 weeks after an increase in cases >>
16 Jan: The Malaysia Budget Hotels Association is asking the government for fast support to help their members and all tourism businesses impacted by the MCO >>
15 Jan: The number of flights into Sarawak has been reduced as of 15 Jan due to the increasing number of cases in the state >>
15 Jan: Kelantan state and Sibu in Sarawak will be put under MCO from 16-26 Jan >>
15 Jan: Penang signed an agreement to start works on an underwater tunnel between the island and the mainland, which is expected to start on 1 Feb and be completed by 3 Jan 2025 >>
15 Jan: Most of AirAsia X’s lessors support its restructuring plan, court documents have shown, and there is also interest in investment >>
15 Jan: The Penang tourism industry has appealed for more financial aid, to ensure that companies “survive”. The Association of Tourist Attractions Penang (ATAP) reminded the government that a collapse of Penang’s tourism industry would be devastating, spilling over into other parts of the economy >>
14 Jan: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) have called for an extension to the wage subsidy schemes and loan moratorium until 30 Jun 2021, reliefs on rental, insurance and statutory licensing fees. They said more than 5,000 tourism businesses are now “in the ICU condition” and policy change is needed to provide flexibility and remove overlapping jurisdictions from multiple government agencies >>
14 Jan: HCBC forecasts that Malaysia’s GDP will grow at 6.7% in 2021, and that the Ringgit will strengthen against the USD >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
14 Jan: MAH has said that the hotel industry is set to lose RM300 million in revenue for every 2 weeks of MCO. They warned that a tipping point for the survival of hotels could be the end of Mar, when the wage subsidy is set to end. Occupancy rates peaked at 43% in 2020, with the average rate at just 27.5%, with a revenue loss of RM6.53 billion in 2020 >>
14 Jan: The Penang Tourism and Creative Economy Committee have proposed a 6- month moratorium on repayment of its Skim Peka 2.0, a Penang Business Continuity Zero Interest Loan given to Penang tourism businesses in 2020 >>
14 Jan: AirAsia is aiming for 50% of its revenue by 2024 to come from non-aviation sources >>
13 Jan: A fire at the Andaman Resort in Langkawi has been brought under control, with extensive damage >>
13 Jan: Gordon Ramsay will open his first restaurant in Malaysia at the Sunway Resort Kuala Lumpur >>
13 Jan: The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) said that the MCO will re- impact the tourism industry once more, and hopes for government assistance >>
13 Jan: Resorts World Genting has forecast a decline in visitors due to the MCO, and will be operating at a lower capacity than usual >>
13 Jan: The Malaysian PM has been criticised for imposing a state of emergency in Malaysia >>
13 Jan: Economists have said that the decision to reimpose MCO will “dent the Malaysian economy significantly” >>
13 Jan: Langkawi hotels have reported bookings dropping by as much as 60%, and 100% of hotel bookings cancelled for the Chinese New Year period. The Langkawi Tourism Association said that the majority of Langkawi’s business is generated from the 6 states under MCO. They also believe that the tourism industry could lose RM120 million from the restrictions imposed >>
13 Jan: Kuala Lumpur International Airport saw a drop of -94.7% YoY for its December pax, -85.1% for domestic and -98.3% for international. Its overall 2020 pax numbers were -78.9%, -71.7% for domestic and -81.7% for international >>
13 Jan: Malaysia Airports reported that their domestic pax increased 3X vs November, with over 1 million domestic passengers on their network. The highest daily passenger movements was on 27 Dec at 54,000 >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
13 Jan: AirAsia.com is in talks for a partnership with Middle Eastern and European carriers to sell them on their platform, particularly to pilgrimage destinations, which they are getting a “lot of requests from customers” for >>
12 Jan: AirAsia have said that their flights will remain operational during the MCO from 13-26 Jan, but passengers must have valid approval from the police to comply with various state entry requirements >>
12 Jan: Malaysia’s business associations are asking for similar government assistance as was implemented during March 2020’s MCO, to assist with the new one in 2021 >>
12 Jan: The Malaysian PM has declared a state of emergency, which will last until either 1 August or as long as it takes to control COVID-19. He reassured the public that this “is not a military coup”. It will prevent a general election from being called >>
12 Jan: Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia’s agreement to share local air transport service in 2011 did not breach competition rules >>
12 Jan: The government is looking at introducing more financial stimulus to support people impacted by MCO 2.0 >>
12 Jan: MICE activities will be banned even in states under the CMCO >>
12 Jan: Malaysia Airlines have launched a new online shopping portal, called Enrich Shoppe, which will allow Enrich members to earn more points for purchases >>
12 Jan: Perak believes that it can attract 5 million domestic tourists in 2021 once the travel restrictions are lifted >>
12 Jan: The MAH has said that hotels will lose all revenue streams with the new implementation of MCO across the country, and called for a wage subsidy from the government for 50% for those with salaries below RM4,000 and 30% for those up to RM8,000. It has also said that 6% of hospitality workers have been made redundant since last year, whilst others have had paycuts or are on unpaid leave >>
11 Jan: As of 11 Dec, only 245 SMEs have claimed RM49.9 million from the PENJANA Tourism Financing fund of RM1 billion >>
11 Jan: AirAsia Group have affirmed its commitment to Airbus, despite cancelling orders and are “joined at the hip” >>
11 Jan: The number of unemployed increased by 4.8% YoY in Nov, to 764,400 people >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
11 Jan: Only 5 sectors will be allowed to operate during the MCO: factories and manufacturing, construction, services, trades and distribution, and plantation and commodities >>
11 Jan: Malaysia will impose new, stricter lockdowns on 5 states and 3 federal territories, reverting to the Movement Control Order (MCO) conditions: Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Johor, Penang, Selangor, Sabah, Labuan and Putrajaya. It will be applied from 13-26 Jan. Pahang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan will be under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), whilst Perlis and Sarawak will be under the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO). The lockdown restrictions were imposed due to rising case and death numbers >>
11 Jan: No interstate travel nationwide will be permitted during the MCO, as well as activities with mass gatherings, meetings, seminars and group sports activities. Inter-distict travel in states under MCO will also not be permitted. Restaurants will be permitted to operate takeaway services only >>
11 Jan: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has launched studios which can handle hybrid virtual-physical events >>
10 Jan: Malaysia Airports is looking at whether to extend Pangkor Airport’s runway so that it can resume operation >>
9 Jan: The government will announce new measures to stop the spread of COVID- 19 on Monday 11 Jan >>
9 Jan: Inter-state and inter-district travel restrictions could be implemented once more to control the spread of COVID-19 >>
8 Jan: The Keningau Tourism and Culture Association in Sabah has been created to promote the tourism sector and introduce new products >>
8 Jan: 88 tourism companies were certified by the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) with the Certificate of Compliance COVID-19 Adopt and Adhere Guidelines and relevant government standard operating procedure (SOP) by the end of 2020 >>
8 Jan: The Housing Ministry has allocated RM8.9 million for the upgrading of tourism facilities in Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Johor. They will focus on small- scale projects, and plan to upgrade recreational areas in Port Dickson, a popular beach tourism area >>
8 Jan: The EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry has warned that a second strict lockdown could lead to the collapse of the economy, with the closure of many businesses >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
8 Jan: 50,000 people have been evacuated and 6 have died due to monsoon rains on Malaysia’s east coast >>
8 Jan: Penang’s Thaipusam celebrations have been cancelled for the first time in a century >>
7 Jan: Malaysia hit a new record high of cases, at 3,027 >>
7 Jan: YouTrip, a mobile multi-currency wallet, is looking to expand into Malaysia in the next 6-12 months, in partnership with Visa. It sees a $12 billion USD outbound market in 2021 >>
7 Jan: 79 tourists who were stranded in Taman Negara National Park due to rising flood waters since the end of Dec have now been rescued >>
7 Jan: Sarawak is looking at opening up a trade and tourism office in Brunei Darassalam >>
7 Jan: Spending more quality time with loved ones is what Malaysians are most looking forward to for travel in 2021, according to a new survey from Agoda. Travelling at a slower pace is also important >>
6 Jan: Malaysia’s health director-general is calling for targeted lockdowns as the health system is near “breaking point”, and expect cases to continue to spike over the coming weeks >>
6 Jan: The Grand Hyatt has launched The Grand Getaway, a plane themed dining experience, where passengers “board”, check in luggage and even walk through a mock Kuala Lumpur International Airport >>
5 Jan: An Ipsos survey has shown that 82% of Malaysians believe that 2021 will be better than 2020 >>
4 Jan: Sarawak’s inbound tourists in 2020 were just 1.2 million, down 71% YoY. The State Tourism Board is encouraging tour operators to look at Siasitok, a campaign to encourage Sarawak tourism to Sarawakians, with discounts of up to 50%. They also have urged tour operators to look at inbound tours, rather than outbound, and promote Sibu as a gateway to the central region >>
4 Jan: The Business Events Council Malaysia has said that the government allocations to the Meet in Malaysia campaign will not be sufficient to help the industry supply chain, and is calling for a reduction in utility costs, tax breaks and ease licensing requirements. The Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers has also said that business events businesses have seen losses of RM2.25 billion, a drop of 90%, since the MCO was implemented in Mar, with 5,619 employees laid off >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
4 Jan: The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) expects hotel occupancy to peak over Chinese New Year and other festive periods, but that it would remain around 20-30% for Q1 2021. However, it would be higher at tourism destinations such as islands and beach resorts >>
4 Jan: AirAsia and the Penang State Tourism Bureau have partnered together to increase connectivity to Penang, as well as special travel offers >>
4 Jan: The Melaka Horror House, a new tourist attraction, is set to open in May and attract 300,000 visitors every year >>
4 Jan: The Ministry of Tourism has suggested that the Kaamatan, Sabah’s Harvest Festival, and Gawai, Sarawak’s Harvest Festival, are added to the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia itinerary as a major festival, to promote unity >>
3 Jan: More than 6,500 people have been evacuated due to heavy flooding in Johor state >>
2 Jan: Central Terengganu is targeting 1 million visitors for Visit Kenyir Year 2021 >>
2 Jan: All educational institutes should reopen according to the academic calendar on 20 Jan, the government has reassured, even in those areas still under the CMCO >>
1 Jan: The Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) has been extended until 31 Mar >>
1 Jan: The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project has been terminated once more, after both sides didn’t reach an agreement by its 31 Dec deadline >>
14 Nov: The Tourism Ministry announced an additional allocation of RM200 million in the Tourism Rehabilitation Plan 2021, including accommodation vouchers, tourist destination discounts, family travel package discounts and the “Meet in Malaysia” campaign >>
6 Nov: In its Budget 2021, the government has allocated:
• RM50 million for reskilling and relocation of 8,000 former aviation workers • 500 new job allocations for Orang Asli to function as tour guides in all national parks, to help ecotourism • RM50 million budget for maintenance at tourist hotspots • RM20 million for the promotion of Cultural Villages in Terengganu, Melaka, Sarawak and Negri Sembilan • RM10 million for upkeep of heritage buildings • The Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council will receive a RM35 million allocation, up from RM25 million in 2019
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
• Grant of RM2,000 will also be allocated to hawker traders, tour drivers and taxi drivers in Sabah state • 6-month exemption from levies for the Human Resources Development Fund from 1 Jan 2020 • Extension of wage subsidy program for another 3 months for up to 500 employees per company for those earning RM4,000 and below a month >>
24 Sep: A new economic stimulus program has been released by the PM, worth RM10 billion. It includes RM7 billion in cash aid for SMEs and the wage subsidy scheme >>
24 Sep: Malaysia’s wage subsidy scheme will be worth RM2.4 billion, and will be given to companies who have seen a 30% decline or more in revenue YoY. Companies would receive RM600 for up to 200 employees for 3 months. For those new applicants who did not have earlier assistance, they would receive it up to 6 months. The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) welcomed the move, but highlighted that they are still calling for other assistance, including tax incentives, tourism marketing and tourism development >>
31 Jul: The tourism sector financing scheme under the PENJANA budget has now been opened for application. The total scheme is worth RM1 billion and it is aimed at MSMEs with financing of up to RM300,000 at a 3.5% interest rate per year >>
27 Jul: A new campaign to support MICE events in Malaysia, “Meet in Malaysia”, has been revealed by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB). The campaign has 2 components: Let’s Meet Locally, for domestic business, and Let’s Meet Tomorrow, for groups with 10% international participants. Incentives for Let’s Meet Locally include free full-day city tour for a group of 30, whilst for groups of 60 with a 2-night hotel stay will see dinner sponsorship included. 150 participants and above can request for sponsorship of a full-day meeting package. Incentives for Let’s Meet Tomorrow include a full-day meeting package for groups of 120 pax who hold a meeting for 2 days or more. The campaign runs until Dec 2021 >>
5 Jun: The government released a new RM35 billion stimulus package for the economy, called PENJANA. It includes tax relief for individuals, a monthly unlimited travel pass for RM30, free 1GB data every day between 8am-6pm. For tourism it also includes:
• RM1 billion to finance transformation initiatives by SMEs (details to be announced) • RM1.8 billion in tax incentives, including tourism tax breaks from 1 Jul – 30 Jun • Moratorium on tax instalment payments from 1 Apr to 31 Dec for tourism companies (including airlines) • Personal income tax relief of RM1,000 for tourism expenses >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
08 May: Sarawak state has announced a RM300 million stimulus package, with certain measures supporting tourism workers:
• One-off cash payment of RM600 to licensed van operators • Special grant of RM1,500 to 145 tourist and park guides >>
29 Apr: Bank Negara has allocated RM5 billion for financing loans to SMEs to help them sustain operations and maintain jobs >>
07 Apr: An additional RM10 billion financial stimulus has been announced targeted at SMEs. Key measures include:
• Wage subsidy of up to RM1,200 per employee for companies with less than 75 workers • Tax deductions for landlords to encourage rental reductions >>
27 Mar: The Malaysian government announced a new economic stimulus package valued at RM250 billion, including some support for the travel industry:
• Monthly subsidy of RM600 for 3 months for companies who have had a drop of 50% in business since 1 Jan • RM4.5 billion for SME and micro entrepreneurs comprising of five initiatives >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/malaysia/
OUTBOUND
NEW 27 Jan: Malaysia Airlines will enhance its Enrich loyalty program with a new, fare- based points scheme and a new tier qualification structure >>
18 Jan: Malaysia Airlines plans to restore the number of international flights to Australia, New Zealand and the UK, “boldly betting on a solid return to international flying by the end of 2021” >>
6 Jan: Malaysia Aviation Group is looking at using a UK scheme of arrangement to complete its debt restructuring by Q1 2021, and said that “good progress” has been made >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/malaysia/
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MYANMAR 70% of tourism workers made redundant.
TRAVEL All visa issuances suspended. All international flights are suspended until 28 Feb. RESTRICTIONS 14-day quarantine for those who enter the country. Travellers from the UK not permitted.
LOCKDOWN Schools closed. Yangon state, Rakhine state and certain townships in Mon State, STATUS Shan State Mandalay Region, Kachim, and Ayeyarwady Region are under “Stay-at- home”: residents limited to leaving home only for essential grocery shopping.
TRAVEL BUBBLES & INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
NEW 31 Jan: Myanmar has extended its COVID-19 preventive measures until 28 Feb, including the temporary suspension of all visas >>
20 Jan: Myanmar only expects to receive international visitors in Sep at the earliest >>
14 Jan: Japan has suspended its Business Track and Residence Track programs to allow overseas business travellers to visit the country, including from Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam >>
9 Jan: The government is planning to relaunch international tourism with ASEAN and Asian countries in Q3 2021, with “travel bridges” to Laos and Cambodia, and “travel bubbles” with Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and Macau >>
2 Jan: Myanmar has banned travellers from the UK from 31 Dec as a temporary measure >>
5 Dec: The ban on international flights has been extended until the end of Dec >>
30 Oct: Myanmar has been added to Japan’s list of countries who are banned from entering >>
28 Oct: The government has extended the ban on visitors entering the country until 30 Nov, including the suspension of all types of visas and visa exemptions >>
27 Oct: Myanmar has extended the ban on international flights until 30 Nov >>
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29 Aug: Clarification has been made for foreign staff seeking to re-enter Myanmar – they will need to prove that they are on urgent businesses and must contact the Myanmar Embassy to fly on relief flights >>
24 Aug: Myanmar and Japan have agreed to open their borders to one another for expatriate and long-term residents as early as Sep. Travellers must stay at home or at a designated place after arriving for 14 days. Japan also pledged $283 million USD to support Myanmar SMEs. They will also speed up talks to allow essential business travel >>
29 Jul: The flight suspension to Myanmar has been extended to 31 Aug. However, there are some “fast lanes” for essential businesses and officials upon request. These have started with China and Japan, and will be extended gradually to other countries. Myanmar citizens will also be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment, studying abroad or working abroad on specially arranged flights >>
13 Jul: Myanmar are planning to allow Chinese travellers with urgent business matters to enter the country under a “Fast Track” scheme with a special quarantine program. The Chinese travellers could arrive into Myanmar via relief, special and chartered flights. They plan to expand this scheme to other countries too. Travellers must bring a negative COVID-19 test, and will undergo 2 swab tests. After 5 days, they will be able to do their work. Costs will be borne by the travellers >>
VACCINE
NEW 30 Jan: MPs have been vaccinated against COVID-19 before the start of its Hluttaw (Parliament). More than 30,000 people were vaccinated in Nay Pyi Taw >>
NEW 27 Jan: Myanmar launched its vaccination drive on 27 Jan, with healthcare workers the first to receive the Covishield virus donated by the Serum Institute of India. They are aiming to vaccinate the whole population, 54 million people, in 2021. 2 million more Covishield vaccine doses are expected to arrive in the first week of Feb >>
NEW 27 Jan: Myanmar will start to vaccinate nationwide from 5 Feb, prioritising the elderly and people who are vulnerable to the disease >>
22 Jan: Myanmar received 1.5 million COVID-19 doses from India. Myanmar plan to roll out the vaccine next week, prioritising healthcare workers and elderly people >>
18 Jan: Myanmar has received $10.2 million USD in public donations for vaccines >>
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14 Jan: China has promised Myanmar 300,000 doses of vaccine >>
11 Jan: 68% of Myanmar’s population is expected to be vaccinated in 2021 and 2022 >>
8 Jan: Myanmar has ordered 30 million doses of the Serum Institute of India’s vaccine, Covishield, which is due to arrive by Feb >>
6 Jan: Myanmar is asking for donations from the public for funding for its vaccination drive >>
2 Jan: Myanmar will start vaccinating health workers in Feb with the Indian vaccine >>
25 Dec: Myanmar delegates are currently in India to purchase vaccines for 15 million pax, and they expect to get a clearer idea of the purchase next week. Priority will be given to healthcare workers first >>
4 Dec: Myanmar is planning to procure its own vaccines, aiming to prioritise 20% of its population first with COVAX. The government aims to then procure vaccines for an additional 40% of its population next year >>
INBOUND
NEW 31 Jan: Myanmar National Airlines will give a 25% discount to its passengers on Yangon and Mandalay flights on 3 Feb >>
NEW 30 Jan: Myanmar Airways International received its 2nd A320 plane on 29 Jan, increasing its A320 fleet to 5 planes >>
NEW 30 Jan: The Myanmar military have said that it will protect and abide by the constitution and act according to the law, trying to reassure that a military coup is not forthcoming. The UN and other NGOs have expressed concern that this could be a possibility after the commander-in-chief had made a comment about abolishing the constitution. The election commission have rejected the military’s claim of voter fraud, something which the military said it could “take action” over >>
NEW 30 Jan: Aung Nan’s cultural artifacts are being prioritised to be placed on the regional level cultural heritage list >>
NEW 29 Jan: 70% of Myanmar’s tourism workers have been made redundant, according to the Union of Myanmar Travel Association, around 560,000 people >>
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NEW 28 Jan: Heritage Line has announced that it will stop its cruises in Myanmar temporarily. The local company it is in partnership with, Moken Capital, will now offer cruises for the domestic market for wealthy locals and expats >>
NEW 28 Jan: The Myanmar Tourism Bank will provide financial assistance to tour companies after signing an MoU with the Union of Myanmar Travel Association >>
NEW 28 Jan: Popa area may be declared a National Geopark by the government >>
NEW 26 Jan: Bagan residents are calling for it to be reopened to tourists and allow tourism businesses to operate by Feb >>
NEW 26 Jan: A natural cave in Kayah State, Mei Htauk Noon, will be developed into an ecotourism site >>
NEW 26 Jan: Yangon will reopen its markets in the municipal area as cases drop >>
24 Jan: The Kayin state government wants the Kayin traditional Don Yein dance to be included in the UNESCO intangible culture heritage list >>
23 Jan: Myanmar’s first glass bridge will be 160 feet high, 200flt long and 120ft wide. It is expected to be completed by 2022 >>
23 Jan: The Myanmar government has now officially launched the Myanmar Tourism Strategic Recovery Roadmap for 2021-2025. It is split into 3 different plans: Immediate – restore confidence to boost and restart the domestic tourism sector; Medium-term – rebuild visitor demand and improve product offerings; Long-Term – develop a resilient, balanced, responsible and sustainable tourism sector >>
23 Jan: The Myanmar Tourism Bank has signed an MoU with the Myanmar Restaurants Association and the Myanmar Tourism Human Resources Development Association to help bank loans to restaurants impacted by COVID-19, as well as the development of hotel and tourism training centres >>
22 Jan: Myanmar’s tourism arrivals in 2020 fell 75% YoY to less than 1 million. It had previously predicted 5 million arrivals at the start of 2020. Tourism income also dropped by 75% YoY >>
22 Jan: Residents in Bagan have said that hotels continue to be built in the protected property zone, despite a ban on construction as part of its inscription into the UNESCO World Heritage list >>
21 Jan: Yangon have reopened their parks in the mornings >>
21 Jan: Exploration Travel Myanmar have launched virtual tours of Bagan, to be able to create jobs and income for Bagan based tourist guides >>
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20 Jan: Ayeyarwady hotels are seeking permission to reopen after a 10-month closure. The hotels are likely to reopen in a phased manner >>
20 Jan: The Myanmar Tourism Entrepreneurs Association (Mandalay Zone) are preparing new tour destinations for domestic tourism >>
20 Jan: 5 buildings are being examined in Pyin Oo Lwin for possible inclusion in the National Heritage List. If approved, it would allow Pyin Oo Lwin to promote tourism in different ways >>
17 Jan: Tourism related SMEs can apply for loans via the Myanmar Tourism Bank, through 11 associations under the Myanmar Tourism Federation >>
16 Jan: Sri Lanka and Myanmar will establish air links between the 2 countries this year, to boost travel for medical and religious purposes >>
16 Jan: The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism have said that about half of Myanmar’s hotels (1,000) have been temporarily shut, and 30,000 staff made unemployed. Two thirds of Bagan’s hotels are also struggling to stay open >>
14 Jan: The Myanmar Tourism Entrepreneurs Association is coordinating with Myanmar National Airlines to conduct day trip flights between Yangon and Ngapali >>
14 Jan: The Sule Shangri La Hotel in Yangon, one of the largest hotels in Myanmar, will temporarily close, with hotel workers put on extended leave of absence >>
14 Jan: A campaign called Stop COVID-19 Yellow Campaign has been organised by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, and held in front of all branches of the Myanmar Tourism Bank, to remind the public to take precautions >>
14 Jan: Myanmar has closed 8 temporary hospitals in Yangon, as cases drop >>
14 Jan: Shwe Taungtan area is expected to be developed into a tourist attraction, including the cultivation of coffee and avocado plants >>
14 Jan: Bagan’s pagodas in its cultural zone will be reopened phase by phase, and the government is still coordinating preparations >>
14 Jan: Short day trips from Yangon have been suspended >>
13 Jan: Myanmar’s first glass bridge will be built in Shan state. It will also consist of a park, playground, bungalows, tents and restaurants, and will create 300 new jobs >>
12 Jan: A resort on Ngapali Beach has been forced to close just 2 weeks after being reopened, due to a COVID-19 case from a guest >>
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12 Jan: A Manager at the Ministry of Transport and Communications has had a lawsuit filed against them for alleged bribery and corruption >>
11 Jan: Hotels which have reopened in Ngapali beach have seen very low guest turnout so far, with just 2-digit numbers arriving. Tourists who arrive by air do not need to quarantine, but those arriving by road must do so >>
11 Jan: Myanmar’s first community based tourism project at Don Nyaung Hmaing village in Kyunsu Township has now opened >>
11 Jan: Bagan’s hotels and inns have asked the regional government to be allowed to reopen >>
10 Jan: Caravan tours and day trips to Bagan and Ngapali beach will be opened soon >>
8 Jan: Aung San Suu Kyi has called for the Myanmar tourism industry to partner with one another to drive development, as well as ensure that the traditional characteristics of Myanmar tourism is not lost >>
7 Jan: Myanmar National Airlines has extended the suspension of its international flights until 31 Jan >>
7 Jan: Tourism companies are seeing some popularity in 1-day tours from Yangon, with activities such as riding, fishing, rowing, biking and staying overnight on farms. The Myanmar Tourism Entrepreneurs Association is incorporating agro- tourism in Yangon region, Bago region, Kayah state, Chin state and Ayeyarwady region >>
7 Jan: Ywangan in Shan State is being promoted as the Virgin Land to create high- value tourists for local products, and use sustainable tourism to preserve local culture and traditions >>
6 Jan: A community-based tourism scheme will link Naypyitaw to Shan and Kayah states >>
6 Jan: The Mekong Tourism Forum, due to take place in Feb in Bagan, has been postponed to Sep 2021 >>
6 Jan: Parks in Yangon will be allowed to reopen from next week >>
6 Jan: The Myanmar Tourism Federation expect international tourism only to resume in H2, and then for tourism to be operating at just 10-20%, as many tourism businesses will have lost their skilled staff >>
5 Jan: A new tourist spot has been created in Mogaung, Kochin State, where visitors can appreciate the views of cloud seas >>
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5 Jan: The Mandalay Region Hoteliers Association has asked for permission to reopen hotels in the region, but has not yet received a reply from the regional government >>
3 Jan: Myanma Tourism Bank is giving loans to souvenir shops to boost their development >>
2 Jan: Community-based tourism will open in Jan in Done Nyaung Hmine village on Done Island, Myeik District. It is planning to create more jobs for locals >>
1 Jan: Nan Thar Island in Rakhine State is trying to be designated a marine national park >>
15 Oct: A 2nd tranche of COVID-19 funds of K21.8 billion will be disbursed to 1200 businesses >>
9 Sep: Tax relief has been extended until 31 Dec for prioritised sectors, something that the Union of Myanmar Travel Association welcomes >>
11 Jul: The government will create a fund of 500 billion kyats to support businesses, including those in tourism. The loans will help to pay salaries and will be at a 1% interest rate >>
10 Jun: The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism have announced their COVID-19 Tourism Relief Plan to help tourism operators, to run from Apr 2020 – Jan 2021:
• Phase 1 (Apr-Jun): low-interest loans. Between 9 Apr – 2 Jun, over 1,000 tourism businesses received K27 billion. Tax and license fee waivers • Phase 2 (Jun-Aug): reopening Myanmar’s tourism. Government working to open regional tourism, and health and safety plans being developed • Phase 3 (Aug-Jan 2021): begin promoting Myanmar internationally, with visa exemptions, ease of travel restrictions and boosting tourism infrastructure >>
23 May: There will be three stages in a roadmap for tourism, according to the Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism:
1. Survival, immediate action with the self-finance and stimulus package 2. Reopening and relaxing of lockdown and quarantine, to be implemented within 3-6 months 3. Relaunching, relaxing regulations and reinventing Myanmar tourism, to be implemented within 6-12 months >>
09 May: A fund of $2.5 million USD has been set up in a 3rd phase of economic stimulus to support loans to 111 industrial and tourism companies >>
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02 May: A 2nd fund of $142.8 million USD is set to be created by the government to help struggling businesses >>
23 Apr: Land lease payments for 47 state-owned and private hotels will be deferred for 6 months. However, the Myanmar Hotelier Association has asked for an exemption, rather than just deferment >>
16 Apr: Hotel and tour businesses will not have to pay licence fees for one year until 31 Mar 2021 >>
18 Mar: Myanmar Government has introduced relief measures, including those for tourism businesses:
• Covid-19 fund established and funds may be borrowed at interest rate of 1% for one year • Commercial tax and corporate income tax deadlines extended until end of Sep 2020 >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/myanmar/
OUTBOUND
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/myanmar/
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PHILIPPINES 2020 international arrivals drop by 83.97% YoY
TRAVEL Temporary ban on foreigners arriving from countries which have detected the new RESTRICTIONS strain of COVID-19. Those with investment visas, or spouses or children of Filipino nationals from other countries will be permitted entry. Domestic flights permitted to reopen from 1 Jun. Non-essential outbound travel permitted from 21 Oct.
LOCKDOWN General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for Metro Manila from 1-28 Feb, whilst Cebu STATUS City is under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) from 1-28 Feb. Many industries and sectors are permitted to reopen, with 50% of the workforce. Travel agents allowed to open under GCQ areas at 50% capacity. Public transportation and staycations in areas under GCQ permitted. MICE events allowed at 50% under MGCQ areas, 30% under GCQ areas. Curfew of 12am – 4am in Metro Manila. Everyone must wear full-coverage face shields together with face masks.
Consumer sentiment
Source: YouGOV
Total number of daily departures
Source: The Airline Flight Demand Tracker, Lufthansa Innovation Hub
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YoY Weekly change in flight search or booking Share of future flight booking volume volume for travel to Philippines in last 14 days to Philippines
Source: Sojern COVID-19 dashboard
TRAVEL BUBBLES & INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
NEW 29 Jan: The travel ban on inbound passengers from countries with the new COVID- 19 variant will be lifted from 1 Feb. Once they arrive, pax will have to stay for 7 days at government-accredited quarantine hotels, being tested on the 6th day. Once they test negative, they will be endorsed to their local governments, who will monitor their health for the remainder of the 14-day stay. Foreigners with valid visas, including Balikbayans, and foreign spouses and children, are permitted to enter >>
22 Jan: Passengers from countries which have detected the new variant of COVID- 19 will need to undertake a 2nd RT-PCR test on day 5 of their quarantine >>
22 Jan: A vaccine certificate should be at no cost to the recipient, a Senator has proposed, under a Vaccine Passport Act >>
16 Jan: The Department of Health have said that they will probably provide a vaccine passport, as well as a data registry for all recipients. A QR code will be issued to recipients >>
15 Jan: Hungary and the UAE will now be included in the Bureau of Immigration’s ban on foreigners until 31 Jan >>
15 Jan: The Bureau of Immigration has now extended the inbound travel restrictions on 33 countries’ residents until 31 Jan, including the UK, Japan, Australia, China, France, Singapore, South Korea, Canada and the USA >>
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14 Jan: The Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) has said that the country is open to creating international travel bubbles with neighbouring countries, with “the main consideration of proximity” >>
12 Jan: The DOT has said that the plan to reopen Lapu-Lapu to international arrivals may not be permitted by the government due to the new variants of COVID-19 >>
7 Jan: 6 more countries will be added to the list of countries and territories banned from entering the Philippines due to the detected of the new COVID-19 variant >>
7 Jan: The government has said that the travel ban from certain countries may be lifted if hospitals are not overwhelmed by cases after the year-end holidays >>
6 Jan: Individuals who have had the COVID-19 vaccine will still need to be tested and undergo quarantine on arrival to the Philippines >>
1 Jan: Philippine embassies have suspended processing and issuing of visas until 15 Jan for residents from the UK, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Hong Kong. Filipino residents in those countries will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine on entry to the Philippines >>
18 Dec: Foreign nationals who leave the Philippines will be permitted to re-enter, so long as they have a valid visa, pre-booked quarantine facilities and a test on arrival >>
27 Nov: Filipino’s foreign spouses and children, as well as returning Filipinos will be permitted entry to the Philippines, so long as they book a quarantine facility and have a swab test at Philippine airports >>
21 Nov: Philippines’ health workers will now be allowed to be deployed overseas, lifting the ban that was previously in place. However, only 5,000 will be permitted to leave every year >>
20 Nov: The Bureau of Immigration will now allow foreigners to enter with visas issued pursuant to Section 9(d) of Commonwealth Act No. 613 and those with visas issued by the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, and Clark Development Corporation >>
5 Nov: Mainland China has barred Filipinos from entering the country, even if they have the necessary visas, due to the large number of cases >>
23 Oct: Philippines will allow foreigners with investment visas from Philippine agencies to enter the country >>
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23 Oct: Filipinos travelling overseas no longer have to present negative antigen tests >>
22 Oct: Just 95 Filipinos left the country on 21 Oct, the first day that non-essential outbound travel was permitted, but the Bureau of Immigration expects that number to increase during the Christmas season for visits to relatives overseas >>
19 Oct: Returning Filipinos from countries with low-middle prevalence of COVID will not have to undergo testing on entry, so long as they pass the symptom screening >>
16 Oct: The ban on non-essential outbound travel for Filipinos has been lifted as of 21 Oct. Pax must have negative antigen tests, confirmed plane tickets and health and travel insurance, as well as complete an immigration declaration that they know the risks involved in travelling >>
3 Sep: Malaysia will extend a ban on citizens from countries with more than 150,000 cases of COVID-19 from 7 Sep, including the Philippines >>
VACCINE
NEW 31 Jan: The Philippines expects to receive 5.6 million doses at least in Q1 2021, from Pfizer and AstraZeneca >>
NEW 30 Jan: The Ambassador to the USA has said that the Philippines will receive around 56 million doses from different companies by May, with 30 million from Novavax, 20 million from Moderna and 6 million from Johnson & Johnson. An agreement with Pfizer is also in progress. The government has said that it expects 1-3 million doses arriving from Sinovac in Feb >>
NEW 28 Jan: The Food and Drug Administration have approved the emergency use of the AstraZeneca vaccine >>
NEW 27 Jan: The Philippines government has said that they were hoping to receive 200,000-500,000 doses of AstraZeneca, 500,000 Sinovac and some from Pfizer in Feb, totally around 1 million doses >>
NEW 27 Jan: The government has confirmed that they will still get 40 million doses from COVAX, despite the change in cost-sharing plans >>
NEW 27 Jan: Philippines’ best-case scenario is to vaccinate 60-70% of its population by Q4 2021, the worst-case by H1 2022 >>
NEW 27 Jan: The Philippines aims to vaccinate at least 1 mil healthcare workers and frontliners in Feb >>
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NEW 26 Jan: An indemnity fund to compensate vaccine recipients who experience adverse side effects is in the process of being negotiated >>
24 Jan: All employees of the Clark International Airport Corp will receive free vaccines >>
22 Jan: COVAX will provide 30 to 40 million free doses of vaccine. The vaccine manufacturer has not been confirmed, but is likely to be Pfizer >>
22 Jan: Metro Manila local government units (LGUs) will launch synchronised vaccine programs >>
21 Jan: Bulacan have secured 20 million PHP worth of vaccines from AstraZeneca, which will arrive in Q3 or earlier >>
20 Jan: The Philippines has said that its first COVAX doses are set to arrive in Q1, and will be among the first countries to receive the vaccine >>
19 Jan: The Philippines will permit Sinovac’s human trials, and Duterte will take the first Sinovac jab >>
19 Jan: The Philippines plans to buy 20 million doses from Moderna >>
17 Jan: China will donate 500,000 vaccine doses to the Philippines >>
16 Jan: Local government units (LGUs) are being advised to purchase vaccines only for 50% of their population, and let the national government provide the rest >>
15 Jan: Philippines has not yet finalised its deal with Sinovac, as it is subject to the vaccine expert panel approval >>
15 Jan: The government is aiming to vaccinate people with 5 million doses in H1, with an overall target of 50-70 million Filipinos this year >>
14 Jan: The Philippines national government, 300 companies and 39 LGUs have signed a tripartite agreement to buy 17 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine >>
14 Jan: The government is in talks with Pfizer for between 25-40 million doses of their vaccine. COVAX has also committed to providing 20% of the country’s vaccines >>
14 Jan: Pfizer has now been approved for emergency use >>
14 Jan: Duterte has said that the Philippines is at the end of the queue for vaccines, as rich countries have bought all the supplies >>
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14 Jan: LGUs will be permitted to enter tripartite deals with AstraZeneca, Moderna and Novavax >>
13 Jan: The DOH is now finalising the list of vaccine recipients >>
12 Jan: The government hopes to roll out the Pfizer vaccine under the COVAX facility in Feb >>
11 Jan: The Philippines has signed a deal with Sinovac for 25 million doses, 50,000 of which will arrive into the Philippines in Feb. This is in addition to the 15,000 doses used for the clinical trials in the country. 950,000 will arrive in Mar, 1 million in Apr, 1 million May, and 2 million in Jun >>
10 Jan: The Philippines has signed a 30 million dose deal with the Serum Institute of India for Covovax, which will be available in Q3 2021 >>
8 Jan: The government is urging Filipinos to get the vaccine, reassuring the public that they are safe >>
7 Jan: The Philippines is negotiating to receive 148 million doses from 7 manufacturers in 2021. It is hoping to conclude deals with Novavax, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Sputnik V. It should receive doses for 23 million through COVAX >>
7 Jan: AstraZeneca may deliver 750,000 doses ordered by Quezon City by Q3. They are in talks with other providers >>
7 Jan: The government is aiming to complete its vaccine procurement process for the first tranche in Jan >>
6 Jan: A survey has shown just 25% of respondents in Metro Manila would be willing to get the vaccine, whilst 28% were unwilling >>
6 Jan: Local governments have been reminded that they can only get COVID-19 vaccine through a tripartite agreement with the manufacturers and the government >>
6 Jan: 15,000 Filipinos are expected to participate in the WHO COVID-19 trials later in the month >>
5 Jan: Ayala have ordered 450,000 doses of AstraZeneca as part of the private sector’s contribution to the national program. The doses will be split 50:50 between the government and the private sector >>
3 Jan: The Philippines is asking the World Bank for a $300 million USD loan to buy vaccines >>
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1 Jan: The City of Manila has launched a pre-registration program to sign up for a slot in the vaccine rollout >>
1 Jan: The government is confident that the vaccine rollout will start in Q1 2021 >>
9 Dec: The Philippines may only receive the Pfizer vaccine between Q2-Q3 2021 >>
9 Dec: The first source of vaccines will likely be from China, the government has said, and both the Russian and Chinese visas are likely to arrive in Q1 2021 >>
8 Dec: The vaccine will first be distributed to 24 million Filipinos, including the poor, senior citizens and health workers. Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Davao would be given priority. Other sectoral priorities include teachers, government workers and transportation and tourism >>
30 Nov: The government is aiming to vaccinate 75-80% of the Filipino population to achieve herd immunity >>
29 Nov: 30+ companies in the Philippines signed a deal with AstraZeneca for 2.6 million doses of their vaccine, the majority of which they expect to donate to the government, as well as vaccinate their employees >>
INBOUND
NEW 30 Jan: Mactan Cebu International Airport has been awarded the Airports Council International Airport Health Accreditation >>
NEW 29 Jan: Manila City government have cancelled all Chinese New Year activities >>
NEW 29 Jan: Agoda has said that couples are the dominant types of travellers for their customers so far in the Philippines >>
NEW 29 Jan: 2,168km of roads have been constructed or upgraded to tourism gateways and trade corridors, as part of a plan to upgrade 4,147km from 2016 to 2021 >>
NEW 29 Jan: Metro Manila, Cordillera Administrative Region, Batangas province, Tacloban City, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Iligan City will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) until 28 Feb. All other areas will be under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) >>
NEW 29 Jan: The Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP) have told the House Committee on Transportation that they “need the cooperation of LGUs” to open up domestic tourism, and that the government school look at cheaper COVID-19 tests to encourage travel >>
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NEW 29 Jan: Philippine tourist visas saw a 45% drop YoY to their extensions, something the Bureau of Immigration expected given the travel restrictions >>
NEW 29 Jan: The Philippines’ GDP contracted by 8.3% in Q4, meaning its full year contraction was 9.5%, the worst drop in history for the country >>
NEW 29 Jan: The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) have said that a prolonged lockdown for the economy will mean more poverty and hunger for Filipinos. They estimate that quarantines have reduced household spending by 2.2 billion PHP per day, and the Asian Development Bank has said that 1 trillion PHP will be lost in productivity if children cannot go to school >>
NEW 28 Jan: The DOT Western Visayas is calling for tourism businesses to take the financial assistance from the Bayanihan 2 act. As of 13 Jan, 10,180 displaced tourism workers have claimed the 5,000 PHP aid >>
NEW 28 Jan: The DOT is looking at Israel as an “opportunity market” for inbound travellers to the Philippines, as its visitors had quadrupled from 2011 to 2019. They plan innovative trade redevelopment and consumer activation activities >>
NEW 28 Jan: 20 domestic tour operators will visit Ilocos Norte on 1-3 Feb on a fam trip to understand the new normal practices in place. The region has seen just 600 visitors since reopening in Oct 2020. 2,000 tourism workers will also take RT-PCR tests, funded by the DOT >>
NEW 28 Jan: According to an airline analytics company, Ishak, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia Philippines were some of the most vulnerable airlines globally, with “high” financial risk profiles, whilst Cebu Pacific was ‘moderate’. Cebu Pacific have said that the aviation industry in the Philippines is “still struggling mightily” >>
NEW 28 Jan: The Sangley Point International Airport on Manila Bay has rescinded its construction award to a Chinese company, China Communications Construction Co >>
NEW 27 Jan: The Philippines recorded 2,245 new cases, the highest daily number since 8 Nov >>
NEW 27 Jan: Oxford Economics group forecasts that the Philippines’ economic revival will be faster than other ASEAN countries, as it is coming from a low base, and expects growth of 7.7% in 2021 GDP >>
NEW 27 Jan: The Philippine Hotel Owners Association has said that it is saddened by news of Makati Shangri-La closing, but this was a “very uncertain business environment” to operate it, and other hotels could be at risk of temporarily shutting down, too >>
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NEW 27 Jan: A hotel in Baguio has had to explain itself after a controversial celebrity party was held after photos went viral showing guests not wearing masks >>
NEW 26 Jan: Philippines is the 4th country in the world most affected by extreme weather between 2000 to 2019, Greenwatch has said >>
NEW 26 Jan: Cebu Pacific may start its $250 million USD convertible preferred shares stock rights offering on 26 Feb. It is also planning to offer a COVID Protect insurance plan, which would cover COVID-19 related hospitalisation and treatments for travellers >>
NEW 26 Jan: Manila International Airport Authority’s board has closed the appeal from Megawide Constriction to overturn its revocation of Ninoy Aquino International’s rehabilitation >>
NEW 26 Jan: AirAsia Philippines have greeted the new saliva testing for COVID-19 warmly, saying that this move would “definitely positively increase the appetite of air travelers, especially for AirAsia leisure destinations” >>
NEW 26 Jan: The Mayor of Malay, has reassured the public that Boracay is safe, and warned visitors against trying to visit with fake test results >>
NEW 26 Jan: The local transmission of the UK variant has been confirmed in Bontoc, Mountain province >>
NEW 25 Jan: Ilocos Norte will allow provincial buses from Metro Manila to enter, starting with 20 buses per day >>
NEW 25 Jan: Clark International Airport’s new passenger terminal will be able to handle 8.2 million pax, and will be fully operational by Jul 2021. The old terminal will be converted into a mass vaccination centre which could accommodate up to 10,000 people/ day >>
NEW 25 Jan: 2 Metro Manila hotels, the Joy Nostalg Hotel & Suites Manila and Grand Hyatt Hotel, have been awarded the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Safe Stamp >>
24 Jan: Saliva tests will be permitted, but should be conducted only by the Philippine Red Cross initially. They will be used as an alternative to RT-PCR tests, once the results of a validation test has come out >>
23 Jan: The Shangri-La Boracay Resort & Spa has been ordered to temporarily close for a week after mass testing showed that some of its workers tested positive, and employees did not quarantine before the test results came out, endangering guests >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
22 Jan: The DOT will fund projects for Negros Occidental, similar to the VISITA app provided to Baguio City, as well as RT-PCR tests for tourism workers >>
22 Jan: Nearly 50% of job losses in 2020 occurred in Q4 >>
22 Jan: Age restrictions on those in MGCQ areas has now been modified to 10-65 years old who are allowed to leave their homes >>
22 Jan: Tourism stakeholders have called for the deferment of local tax payments, supported by Senator Binay >>
22 Jan: The government has officially been handed over the new passenger building terminal at Clark International Airport >>
21 Jan: Negros Occidental have instructed the provincial tourism officer to accept displaced tourism workers allowing them to benefit from the 5,000 PHO cash assistance >>
21 Jan: The Makati Shangri-La Hotel will temporarily close operations in Feb due to financial pressures. Its closure length was not announced >>
21 Jan: The Hilton Clark has now opened in Clark Freeport, part of a vision to make Clark as a MICE destination >>
21 Jan: BBDO Guerrero will be in charge of 2 Philippines tourism campaigns, “Domestic Tourism Welcome Back” and “The New Normal for Travelling” >>
20 Jan: More than 10,000 have now died due to COVID-19 >>
20 Jan: Bicol International Airport is now at 72.2% complete. Once completed, it is expected to serve 2 million pax/ year >>
20 Jan: The Department of Tourism (DOT) is looking to expand its subsidised COVID-19 tests after requests from the industry. They will look at expanding it outside of Metro Manila. The Boracay Governor has also called for removing the requirement of an RT-PCR test for incoming tourists from Western Visayas >>
19 Jan: The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is preparing guidelines for a new classification for COVID-free areas, which they call the “new normal”. It would be ready for the February classifications >>
18 Jan: The DOT sees diving as a way to boost tourism through increased visitors, extended stays and higher spend >>
18 Jan: Ilocos Norte tourism workers will benefit from a fund of 7 million PHP for their COVID-19 testing, covering at least 2,000 people >>
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
18 Jan: Kalibo International Airport will be closed from 19-21 Jan for disinfection cleaning >>
18 Jan: PAL Express will conduct test flights between Manila and Baguio’s Loakan airport as it prepares for reopening commercial flights. Flights were stopped in 2009, after safety issues were raised >>
16 Jan: AirAsia Philippines received a 7-star rating for COVID-19 compliance by AirlineRatings.com >>
15 Jan: Megawide Construction is awaiting news on its proposal to rehabilitate Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), after submitting a Motion for Reconsideration >>
15 Jan: Private sector groups are calling for lawmakers to enact the CREATE bill, which will cut corporate income tax and streamline financial incentives >>
15 Jan: City Garden Grand Hotel is still operating, despite having its accreditation suspended by the Department of Tourism (DOT) for 6 months >>
15 Jan: Cebu City have seen cases quintuple in just 2 weeks, with the surge attributed to the holiday season >>
15 Jan: The National Economic and Development Authority have said that reasons to open up the economy outweigh those which for closure >>
14 Jan: Hundred Islands National Park only received 93,344 tourist arrivals in 2020, -82% YoY >>
14 Jan: AirAsia has launched the AirAsia shop in the Philippines for duty-free international products >>
14 Jan: Tourism players are campaigning for uniform travel requirements to enable domestic tourism >>
14 Jan: 2 commercial airports in the Philippines remain closed, Camiguin and Tuguegarao, but the other 47 airports in the country have obtained LGU permission for commercial flights >>
13 Jan: More than a million respondents to a Passenger Forum online survey want the rehabilitation of Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport before the end of Duterte’s term >>
13 Jan: Cebu City has limited the number of people allowed to stay in a hotel room, to avoid private gatherings >>
13 Jan: Only 77,724 workers have received the joint DOT- Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) assistance, with just 13% of allocated funds now disbursed.
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
The Small Business Guarantee Corp. has also processed only 415 loan applications for a total of 247.52 million PHP as of 29 Dec, out of a 6 billion PHP fund. The Tourism Congress of the Philippines has blamed the poor take-up on limitations if claimants had already received funds under Bayanihan I, that the company of the displaced worker has to apply for the assistance and that tourism businesses don’t want to borrow in case they cannot repay the loan >>
12 Jan: The DOT will continue to focus on domestic tourism in 2021. They will focus on product diversification, and enhancement with regional products, as well as work to standardise domestic travel protocols required >>
12 Jan: The Philippines’ international inbound arrivals were just 1,323,956 in 2020, a drop of 83.97% YoY. Tourism receipts also dropped to 81.4 billion PHP, a decline of 83.12% >>
12 Jan: The Philippines Red Cross has launched a pilot of saliva-based COVID-19 testing, which would be faster and cheaper than RT-PCR testing >>
12 Jan: Metro Manila has banned street events for the Santo Niño de Tondo and Pandacan festivals >>
12 Jan: Octa Research have seen a “clear upward trend” in cases in Metro Manila since the year-end holidays >>
12 Jan: Mastercard and Pine Labs will introduce a new installment payment scheme for both in-store and online sellers >>
12 Jan: Philippines AirAsia have launched its “piso sale”, and said that they have seen a “small but significant progress” for their Q4 load factor, with 1-10 Jan even hitting highs of 70% >>
12 Jan: The Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP) has said that the travel restrictions on over countries has “surely dampened consumer confidence”, and called for more LGUs to “open and remove/ relax quarantine and travel restrictions”. CAPA have said that nationwide capacity in the Philippines was just at 21.8% of 2019’s in w/c 21 Dec >>
12 Jan: A new road will allow tourists to vIsIt Tagoloan, Lanao del Norte, more easily, boosting growth >>
11 Jan: Cebu City declared that the Sinulog Grand Parade would be cancelled, just one week prior >>
9 Jan: 91% of Filipinos in a November Social Weather Stations survey are worried about catching COVID-19, the highest yet >>
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8 Jan: Retail sales are expected to be 20-30% lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2021, as consumers stay home >>
8 Jan: White Beach, Boracay and El Nido, Palawan, have placed 2nd and 9th place in Conde Nast’s Traveler’s 25 Best Island Beaches in the World: 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards >>
7 Jan: The government has said that a saliva test for COVID-19 may be approved, although the accuracy needs to be validated still >>
7 Jan: Government agencies and local government units (LGUs) will still be able to spend the funds allocated to them in the Bayanihan 2 Act >>
7 Jan: YouTrip, a mobile multi-currency wallet, is looking to expand into the Philippines in the next 6-12 months, in partnership with Visa. It sees a $12.4 billion USD outbound market in 2021 >>
7 Jan: Spending more quality time with loved ones is what Filipinos are most looking forward to for travel in 2021, according to a new survey from Agoda. Travelling in a sustainable way is also important >>
6 Jan: 42% of Filipinos believe that the economy will improve in the next 12 months, with a net optimism score of +24, classified as “high”, and a improvement from Jul’s -9, according to a Social Weather Stations Survey >>
6 Jan: Tourism stakeholders from Cebu support the partnership of Megawide and GMR Infrastructure for the rehabilitation proposal for Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila >>
6 Jan: Quezon City residents who want to travel outside of Metro Manila must secure health clearance from their local health centre >>
5 Jan: The Department of Tourism (DOT) has called for the City Garden Hotel in Makati, where a Philippine Airlines flight attendant was discovered dead, to explain why a New Year’s party was held in the premises when it is a quarantine hotel >>
5 Jan: Quarantine hotels in Metro Manila are running out of rooms as balikbayans are still arriving and stay longer than then the 14-day quarantine period. The Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) has said that quarantine hotels are at 70% occupancy >>
5 Jan: Philippine Airlines is starting to restore its flights from its Davao hub. Previously, it had 10 flights to Manila, with just 3 re-installed – and not all on a daily basis >>
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5 Jan: The improvement of an access road to Bataan National Park is expected to increase the number of visits once it is completed in Apr 2021 >>
5 Jan: Metro Manila may move to a modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) by Feb/ Mar 2021, depending on the number of cases, the Makati Mayor has said >>
5 Jan: IATA have urged the government to continue to provide financial relief for Philippine based airlines, as well as look at travel bubbles >>
4 Jan: The Department of Health has said that they will know by mid-Jan whether the holiday period has caused a spike in cases >>
4 Jan: The hand feeding of whale sharks in Oslob by the tourism industry is failing to comply with regulations to protected the endangered species, a study has shown >>
3 Jan: The Passenger Forum has launched an online poll asking Filipinos to vote on the future of Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport >>
2 Nov: Displaced workers who could not get support from the cash assistance scheme of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), can now apply again and will be prioritised in the 2nd phase of implementation. Tourism workers under the DOT-DOLE can apply for cash-for-work schemes, or a one-time cash assistance of 5,000 PHP, under a 3 billion PHP budget. Employees from an estimated 7,951 DOT-accredited tourism companies and 8,433 LGU-licensed tourism companies could stand to benefit >>
13 Oct: The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines will waive airport fees (landing, takeoff and parking fees) for domestic air carriers until the 19 Dec. Meanwhile, Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP) are waiting for the details of the financing package from the Bayanihan II Act, and are expecting each airline to receive around 140 million PHP in loan assistance >>
27 May: The House of Representatives also passed a bill allocating 58 billion PHP to support the Department of Tourism’s Response and Recovery Program. These funds will be used for:
• Providing interest-free loans or loan guarantees up to five years for maintenance and operating expenses • Credit facilities for upgrading, rehabilitation, or modernization of current establishments to be compliant with new health and safety standards • Marketing and product development promotions and programs • Grants for education, training, and advising for tourism stakeholders for new normal alternative livelihood programs
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• Utilization of information technology for the improvement of tourism services • Development of a tourist tracking system for emergency response and • Establishment of spatial database to improve planning capacity >>
27 May: The government started making the payouts for the second tranche of the Small Business Wage Subsidy >>
01 May: International tourist revenue in Q1 has decreased by 40.6% YoY, whilst international arrivals have declined 40.2% according to the Tourism Secretary. PHP 43 billion stimulus package to support the tourism sector is being prepared by the government. It comprises of:
• PHP 36 billion: soft loans to provide employment • PHP 4 billion: jumpstart tourism infrastructure projects • PHP 500 million: marketing and support for domestic tourism, product market and development • PHP 500 million: international marketing promotion fund • PHP 500 million: training stakeholders • PHP 1.5 billion: fund that can be used by private sector for their activities >>
04 Mar: 6 billion PHP will be spent by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in a tourism resiliency programme, focusing on domestic travel. 2.2 billion PHP will be allocated to infrastructure improvement, 1.6 billion PHP to improve secondary airports, 725 million PHP for tactical programs and initiatives, 421 million PHP for new campaigns, 467 million PHP for “engaging content” to countries not affected by Coronavirus, 85 million PHP for training >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/philippines/
OUTBOUND
22 Jan: The Department of Foreign Affairs staff have been ordered to stop foreign travels due to waning funds >>
5 Jan: Philippine Airlines reopened flights to Saudi Arabia after the temporary suspension on all flights into Saudi Arabia was lifted >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/philippines/
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
SINGAPORE -85.7% drop in 2020 international arrivals
TRAVEL All short-term visitors to Singapore are barred from entering the country from 23 RESTRICTIONS Mar. “Fast lane” for Chinese business travellers. Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) with Malaysia. Travellers from China, New Zealand, Brunei, Vietnam, Taiwan and Australia (excl. New South Wales) do not have to serve quarantine on arrival to Singapore. Reciprocal Green Lane with Brunei. Connect@Singapore due to begin in 2021. Travellers from South Africa will not be permitted entry.
LOCKDOWN Phase 3 of lockdown easing. Businesses reopened and social activities restarted. STATUS Gatherings limited to 8 pax. Approved attractions, hotels for leisure stays and tour operators permitted to reopen at limited capacity. Wearing a mask outdoors obligatory. MICE events up to 250 pax permitted.
Consumer sentiment Singapore tourism arrivals
% change YoY
3.90%
20 20
20
20 20 20 20 20
20 20
20
- -
-
- - - - -
- -
-
JUL
JAN
JUN
SEP
FEB
APR
OCT
AUG
NOV
MAY
MAR
51.20%
-
84.70%
-
100% 100%
- -
99.00%
99.10%
99.40%
99.50%
99.60%
99.86%
-
-
-
- - - Source: Singapore Analytics Tourism Network Source: YouGOV
Total number of daily departures
Source: The Airline Flight Demand Tracker, Lufthansa Innovation Hub
Pear Anderson Sign up for weekly updates 31 Jan 2021 Update https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/ THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
YoY Weekly change in flight search or booking Share of future flight booking volume for travel to Singapore volume in last 14 days to Singapore
Source: Sojern COVID-19 dashboard
TRAVEL BUBBLES & INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
NEW 30 Jan: The Reciprocal Green Lane arrangements with Malaysia, Germany and South Korea will be suspended for 3 months from 1 Feb, due to the high case numbers >>
NEW 29 Jan: The Singapore PM has called for countries to work together to develop a standardised system to verify the authenticity of vaccines and tests >>
NEW 28 Jan: Singapore and India are in talks to resume scheduled flights between the 2 countries, but this would not involve an air travel bubble arrangement, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore have said >>
NEW 26 Jan: Singapore has been added to the ‘green list’ of quarantine-free countries for visits to Abu Dhabi >>
NEW 26 Jan: Johor has been told that they can bring up the issue of vaccinated Malaysians working in Singapore being exempted from quarantine on their return to Malaysia >>
NEW 26 Jan: Riau Islands hope that a travel bubble can be set up with Singapore to boost tourism arrivals, with exclusive resorts being designated with a segregated travel lane, such as Nongsa, Lagoi, Cempedak Island, Nikoi Island, Kepri Coral and Telunas resorts, as there are no residents there. The local government also hope to obtain SG Clean certification to convince travellers they are safe >>
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NEW 25 Jan: Only 50% of Malaysian workers have come back to Singapore for work since the borders reopened 5 months ago >>
23 Jan: There were queues at the Singapore-Malaysia border after the mandatory tests were imposed by Singapore for entry >>
22 Jan: Malaysians working in Singapore are still permitted to return to Malaysia under the PCA, but must undergo quarantine on arrival back to Singapore >>
21 Jan: Indonesia has asked Singapore to discuss a partnership to set up a travel bubble between the 2 countries >>
21 Jan: The Health Minister has said that international travel will remain difficult, even for vaccinated Singaporeans, and when it does resume it will be progressively, through bilateral arrangements, which could then expand into regional ones. The government warned it could be a “four-year affair” to see the aviation industry recover >>
18 Jan: Selected foreign carriers will be permitted to resume transit operations at Changi, including Garuda Indonesia, Lufthansa and Swiss >>
17 Jan: Visitors entering Singapore from 31 Jan via the Air Travel Pass and Reciprocal Gren Lane agreements will need travel insurance for their trips, with a minimum coverage of $30,000 SGD for COVID-19 related medical treatment. The insurance can be purchased from Singapore-based companies >>
17 Jan: All Singaporeans or Permanent Residents returning to Singapore will need to take an RT-PCR test on arrival from 24 Jan. From 18 Jan, all Singaporeans or Permanent Residents returning from the UK or South Africa would need to self- isolate at home for an additional 7 days, on top of their 14-day Stay-Home notice served at dedicated facilities >>
14 Jan: Japan has suspended its Business Track and Residence Track programs to allow overseas business travellers to visit the country, including from Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam >>
12 Jan: The Reciprocal Green Lane and Periodic Commuting Arrangement with Singapore will continue during the MCO period >>
9 Jan: Malaysian citizens with Permanent Resident status in Singapore are now eligible to use the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) between the 2 countries from 11 Jan >>
6 Jan: Japan will likely cut off reciprocal business travel agreements with Singapore due to the state of emergency in Japan >>
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5 Jan: Vaccinated travellers will still be required to undertake stay-home requirements and be subject to the same conditions as non-vaccinated ones, the government has confirmed. If studies show that the vaccinations stop the spread of the disease, this could be reconsidered >>
3 Jan: Malaysia and Singapore are in talks on standardising protocols for those who need to travel between the 2 countries on compassionate grounds >>
1 Jan: People who have travelled through South Africa in the last 14 days will not be permitted entry or transit in Singapore from 4 Jan. Returning Singaporeans and permanent residents will need to undergo a 14-day quarantine >>
23 Dec: Long-term pass holders and short-term travellers from the UK within the last 14 days will not be permitted entry or transit via Singapore, as they are concerned about the new infectious strain of COVID-19. Short-term travellers with an air travel pass and history of travelling to New South Wales in Australia in the last 14 days will not be permitted to enter from 23 Dec >>
15 Dec: Singapore and France are working on a reciprocal green lane for short- term business and official travel >>
15 Dec: Singapore plans to open a segregated lane for business travellers from all countries, Connect@Singapore. The scheme will be open to a “limited number” of business, official and high economic value travellers for stays up to 14 days. Applications will open mid-Jan 2021. Travellers will be housed in dedicated facilities, and have regular testing, with antigen tests on days 3, 5, 7 and 11. They will also need to stay within their pre-declared travel group are not allowed to mingle with other travellers >>
11 Dec: Singapore will unilaterally lift border restrictions for arrivals from Taiwan from 18 Dec, allowing them to skip stay-home notices or quarantine and apply for the Air Travel Pass. Arrivals must have been in Taiwan for 14 days prior to arrival in Singapore, and will need to be tested on arrival. Business travellers from Singapore can travel to Taiwan with just a 5-day quarantine period. The Singapore Transport Minister has said that he is “running out of places” to unilaterally open the Singapore borders to. He also cautioned that the northern hemisphere is going through winter, and that this is “not a time” when overseas travel partners are looking to establish travel bubbles. However, he is confident that once vaccines start that Singapore “will find that more places qualify for either unilateral opening or air travel bubble.” >>
11 Dec: Singapore will enforce stricter measures on travellers arriving from Hong Kong, who will now have to serve a 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities from 13 Dec >>
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1 Dec: The Singapore-Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble’s launch has been postponed until 2021, with arrangements being reviewed in “late Dec”, due to the increase in cases in Hong Kong >>
20 Nov: All travellers entering Singapore from Malaysia or Japan will need to serve a 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities due to the rise in cases in both countries. Those arriving from Malaysia will also need to take an RT-PCR test within 72 hours of departure, and will apply for those entering Singapore under the PCA or RGL agreements. Travellers from Fiji, Finland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey will be allowed to serve a 14-day stay-home notice period at their place of residence so long as they meet certain criteria >>
19 Nov: Johor has asked for an early implementation of a 3rd border opening scheme, the Daily Commuting Arrangement (DCA) between Malaysia and Singapore, with students and teachers being prioritised. They propose that it starts with just 7,000 individuals in the early stages >>
18 Nov: Travellers arriving into Singapore can now buy travel insurance which will cover them for $30k SGD of COVID-19 related medical expenses, the Changi Airport Group have announced >>
14 Nov: The Singapore PM has urged countries to lift travel restrictions from ASEAN states at the ASEAN Plus Three Summit. In separate meetings with Australia and New Zealand, he also called for the 2 countries to lift their restrictions on Singapore >>
13 Nov: Singapore is introducing a new work pass for top tech professionals, called Tech.Pass, starting in Jan with 500 places. Candidates will need to meet at least 2 criteria: last drawn monthly salary of $20,000 SGD in the past year, 5 cumulative years in leading role in a tech firm with a valuation of at least $500 million USD and 5 cumulative years of experience leading a tech product with at least 100,000monthly users or $100 million USD in revenue >>
12 Nov: Flights between Hong Kong and Singapore on 22 Nov were sold out by the evening of the air travel bubble announcement, and within 24 hours, all flights for Nov were sold out, too. Trip.com said its searches from Singapore to HK increased by 200% 3 hours after the announcement and 300% from HK to Singapore. The hotels being looked at in Singapore and HK were luxury and high-end ones >>
12 Nov: Taiwan has said that Singapore is showing an interest in forming a travel bubble with the destination, and will soon meet with its local trade representative to discuss in further detail >>
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11 Nov: The government said: "Our overall posture towards the opening of our borders is one where we are, in principle, prepared to consider more opening up, but it has to be done safely and with appropriate safeguards." >>
11 Nov: Hong Kong and Singapore have announced that their air travel bubble will start 22 Nov. Travellers between the 2 cities will need to take dedicated “bubble” flights with either Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines, and the number of pax will be limited to 200/ day. Initially, it will start with 1 flight/ day, then increase to 2 from 7 Dec. Travellers will need to take an RT-PCR test within 72 hours of departure, and another test on arrival into Hong Kong. Should the 7-day moving average of daily unlinked cases cross 5 in either country, the air travel bubble will be suspended for 2 weeks >>
11 Nov: From 17 Nov, all non-Singaporean travellers from higher-risk areas will need to take a RT-PCR test within 72 hours of entering Singapore. They will also have to serve a 14-day Stay-Home notice and be tested at the end of the quarantine. Singapore are also making it easier to obtain RT-PCR tests, as from 1 Dec, anyone can obtain one from 600 clinics country-wide >>
10 Nov: Australia might consider opening its borders to certain Asian countries, including Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and certain Chinese provinces, the PM there has said >>
7 Nov: The first Chinese visitors arrived into Singapore on 6 Nov after Singapore allowed short-term visitors on a Juneyao flight from Shanghai, with 129 pax on board, a mix of business and short-term visitors >>
3 Nov: Transit travellers from Australia, Brunei, Vietnam and New Zealand are now permitted to access shops at Changi Airport and the SilverKris lounge when flying, no longer having to remain in the transit holding pen >>
30 Oct: Singapore will waive quarantine requirements for China and Australia’s Victoria state from 6 Nov, so long as they test negative on arrival. It is a unilateral move, as Australia and China still do not permit Singaporeans to enter their countries. The Transport Minister has also said that 600 travellers have arrived through the unilateral air travel arrangement, with none of them testing positive on arrival >>
28 Oct: More travellers can serve a 7-day Stay-Home Notices at home from 4 Nov, including: Estonia, Fiji, Finland, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey, so long as they fulfil certain criteria. They will need to arrange special transport from the immigration checkpoint to their residence, as well as testing facilities, with a total cost of around $200-220 SGD to be borne by the traveller >>
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27 Oct: Singapore will now charge Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents for the costs of dedicated Stay-Home Notice facilities from 1 Jan, and will be responsible for their inpatient medical bills. However, they will be able to access government subsidies and insurance policies >>
24 Oct: Singapore and Germany have agreed a Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) for essential business and official travel using direct flights – the exact protocols and start date will be announced later. Germany also announced that Singaporeans are able to travel to Germany without quarantine from 27 Oct >>
20 Oct: Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders who have travelled out of Singapore after 27 Mar will now be entitled to government subsidies and insurance coverage for COVID-19 treatment if they are found to be positive upon return to the country >>
13 Oct: Travellers who have a recent history of travel to Sabah will need to serve a 14-day stay-home notice (SHN) at dedicated facilities, given the increase in cases. Any visitor who also has a recent travel history of Indonesia or the Philippines will need to have a negative test to enter or transfer in Singapore. Hong Kong will be allowed to serve a reduced SHN of 7 days at their place of residence. The Immigration Authority will also be lifting the visa suspension, and short-term visitors who require a visa can apply for one through a local contact, overseas mission or visa agent from 18 Oct. These short-term visitors will still need to apply for a SafeTravel Pass to enter Singapore. The Ministry of Health will also make it easier to get tests, increasing the number of clinics for pre-departure testing to over 150 >>
12 Oct: Singapore and Indonesia have agreed a Reciprocal Green Lane for essential business and cross-border travel, with applications to start on 26 Oct. Requirements include a pre-departure and post-arrival COVID swab test, with points of entry and exit the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Batam Centre Ferry Terminal for sea travel, and Changi Airport and Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport for air travel >>
11 Oct: The Australian PM has announced that the country is in talks with Singapore to travel, but that they would need to move “very, very cautiously” >>
7 Oct: Indonesia has announced that it is in final stages of negotiation with Singapore to open a reciprocal green lane. They hope to finalise it in Oct >>
7 Oct: The Hong Kong tourism industry is calling for its government to speed up talks to reopen with Singapore, hoping it could happen next month with a limited quota >>
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7 Oct: New requirements like strict and repeated testing instead of 2-week stay- home notices are being considered for inbound travellers to Singapore. Air travel bubbles for leisure could also be made to work by setting quotas on the number of arriving travellers/ day, as travellers would need to apply before their journeys. Singapore will also continue to pursue reciprocal green lane arrangements and facilitate transfers at Changi airport – there are now around 2,500 transfer pax/ week. However, the Transport Minister has said: "For Members who are hoping to hear announcements on some air travel resumption and even possible December holiday destinations, I am sorry I will disappoint you." >>
2 Oct: Singapore has removed quarantine restrictions on travellers arriving from Vietnam and Australia (excluding Victoria) from 8 Oct, allowing them to make short-term visits under the Air Travel Pass. The Singapore Transport Minister has said that their counterparts in Vietnam and Australia are considering reciprocating the restrictions for Singaporeans arriving into their countries, but currently they would face quarantine on arrival >>
26 Sep: A “Residence Track” has been launched between Singapore and Japan for business executives and professionals who are work pass holders, as well as the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) for short-term business travellers. The Residence Track applications will begin on 30 Sep >>
23 Sep: A business travel pass for senior executives who need to undertake regional and international responsibilities is being piloted. Travellers would need to follow a strict itinerary, and upon return to Singapore, they would be able to have a test instead of a stay-home notice, self-isolating until the results come out. It would not be country specific, and travellers would have to comply with the restrictions in place in other countries. The number of passes would be limited initially >>
11 Sep: Singapore has agreed a ’Business Track’ with Japan for essential business and official travel from 18 Sep. This is the first country which Japan has established such a framework. Travellers will need to be tested pre-departure and on arrival, as well as keep to strictly controlled itineraries for the first 14 days of their trip >>
2 Sep: A fast lane for residents of Singapore and South Korea will open on 4 Sep for essential business and official trips. Travellers will need to be tested pre- departure and on arrival, as well as follow a closely controlled itinerary for the first 14 days >>
1 Sep: A reciprocal green lane between Singapore and Brunei has been established for essential business and official trips. Passengers will need to take a test upon arrival >>
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21 Aug: Singapore will allow people to travel to New Zealand and Brunei for general purposes from 1 Sep, including leisure, and students for study overseas. Travellers entering Singapore from Brunei or New Zealand will also not have to serve a stay-home notice, but will still need to have a COVID-19 test on arrival at the airport. However, this still depends on border measures implemented by New Zealand and Brunei, as Singapore is still in talks to ensure reciprocal arrangements, as those countries only allow their own citizens and residents to visit. Stay-home notices from low-risk countries will also be reduced from 2 weeks to 1 week, including Australia (excluding Victoria), mainland China, Macau, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, with a COVID-19 test at the end of their notice >>
14 Aug: Singapore and Japan have agreed to resume essential business travel, with an agreement to come likely by early Sep, called a “Residence Track”. This would provide a quota of cross-border business travel, including a 14-day stay home notice on arrival to each country. They would also need to maintain a controlled itinerary >>
1 Aug: Further requirements have been revealed for the cross-border travel arrangement between Singapore and Malaysia, including for the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) having documentation from their companies or host agencies to show that the visiting country has approved the trip and be tested before and on arrival. Travellers must stay in their declared accommodation until negative test results are released. Those on short visits of up to 14 days must follow a controlled itinerary for their stay and not use public transport. Those on the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) can do so only via the land borders and travellers entering Singapore must serve a Stay Home Notice (SHN) of at least 7 days and have a COVID-19 test >>
26 Jul: Cross-border travel between Singapore and Malaysia under the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) will start on 17 Aug at the earliest. Applications will begin on 10 Aug >>
15 Jul: The Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) will be limited to 2,000/ day initially, whilst the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) will allow 400 people per country on a weekly basis >>
14 Jul: Malaysia and Singapore have agreed 2 schemes for reopening the borders, to start on 10 Aug:
1. Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL), for essential business and official purposes. Travellers would need to undergo PCR swab tests 2. Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) for Malaysian and Singapore residents who hold long-term immigration passes for business and work purposes in the other country, to enter for work. They will be able to briefly return to their home country after 3 consecutive months of working >>
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3 Jun: Further details regarding the “fast lane” between Singapore and China have been released. It will start on 8 Jun, and travellers will need to take a COVID-19 swab 48 hrs prior to departure. The test fee will be borne by the passenger. For Chinese travellers to Singapore, they must also undertake a controlled itinerary supervised by the host company for the first 14 days, and may not use public transport (except for taxis). On arrival to Singapore or China, pax will undergo a swab test, and must stay in designated accommodation (China) or isolation (Singapore) until test results are released >>
VACCINE
NEW 29 Jan: Around 3,000 hospitality workers have now received the vaccine as of 25 Jan, around two thirds of the staff at stay-home notice facilities. The Singapore Hotel Association hopes that this vaccination program will boost confidence >>
NEW 29 Jan: All 20 polyclinics across Singapore will offer COVID-19 vaccines for senior citizens, with an additional 40 centres set up over the coming few weeks to make receiving the vaccine convenient >>
NEW 29 Jan: All 24 towns in Singapore will have a community vaccination centre by end-Mar, to ensure vaccination capacity and that there will be no bottlenecks once vaccines arrive >>
NEW 28 Jan: More than 113,000 people have now had the first dose of the vaccine, with 50 receiving their 2nd dose >>
NEW 25 Jan: 7 major Singaporean insurance companies have extended medical coverage to include hospitalisation in case of complications from COVID-19 vaccines >>
22 Jan: More than 60,000 people have received their first dose of vaccine, and expects that vaccines to cover all Singaporeans and residents would arrive by Q3 2021 >>
22 Jan: Singapore will start vaccinating those aged above 70 years old from 27 Jan, with pilots in Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar >>
19 Jan: The government began to mass vaccinate 37,000 frontline workers in aviation and maritime sectors. They aim to complete this in 2 months, and the Transport Minister has said they are an important part of reviving Singapore’s air hub status, as well as branding, so that “Singapore Airlines (SIA) can be the first vaccinated international airline of the world” >>
18 Jan: OCBC and Great Eastern have announced programs to support people who have received the vaccination. Great Eastern will provide a daily hospital benefit to
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its customers if they are hospitalised due to the vaccine, whilst OCBC Bank staff will get a day off for when they receive the jab >>
14 Jan: 6,200 people have received the first dose of vaccination so far, and 8 vaccination centres will be set up by the end of Feb, with 2 at Changi Terminal 4. More centres will be progressively opened as the rollout happens, and polyclinics and GP clinis will also give the vaccines. The elderly will now start to receive vaccines from Jan, not Feb, as previously announced. Frontline workers, including those in aviation, will be prioritised >>
8 Jan: The Singapore PM has received his COVID-19 vaccine >>
5 Jan: Vaccinations will be a key focus for Singapore in 2021. People will need to pre-book their vaccines first, and will not be able to choose which vaccine they want. The Health Minister expects more vaccines to arrive in the next few months, including from Moderna and Sinovac. It will be free for all Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term residents, and enough vaccines for all should arrive by Q3 >>
4 Jan: Singapore will introduce a vaccine injury financial assistance program for anyone experiencing a serious adverse effect of the COVID-19 vaccine, to give peace of mind to the public >>
4 Jan: Those who receive the COVID-19 vaccination will receive a physical vaccination card, and will also have it recorded online in the National Immunisation Registry >>
4 Jan: The government is looking at airline crews as a potential priority for the vaccine >>
21 Dec: The first batch of Pfizer vaccines has arrived into Singapore >>
15 Dec: Moderna have confirmed that they have agreed to supply Singapore with the vaccine, although have not disclosed the volume of doses >>
14 Dec: Singapore has approved the Pfizer vaccine, and the first shipment is to arrive late Dec. Other vaccines will also be shipped in the coming months, and Singapore “will have enough vaccines for everyone” Q3 2021. The whole adult population should be vaccinated, but vaccinations will be voluntary. Priority will be given to frontline workers, the elderly and the vulnerable. The government has allocated more than $1 billion SGD for vaccine efforts, and made early payments for Moderna, Pfizer and Sinovac >>
11 Nov: Singapore researchers have announced positive preliminary results from their own developed vaccine’s early stage clinical trials, and shipments are expected to start in Q1 2021. The vaccine is effective in a single dose >>
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INBOUND
NEW 30 Jan: 12 money changers have closed down permanently, with 37 temporarily ceasing operations, due to the lack of travel >>
NEW 30 Jan: Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is planning to hold a 2-day virtual roadshow, SingapoReimagine MICE >>
NEW 29 Jan: Marina Bay Sands’ Q4 revenue was $345 million USD, down from $853 million USD in 2019, but still making it the Las Vegas Sands group’s most profitable casino. Full-year profit was down 76% YoY >>
NEW 28 Jan: Singapore’s Dec tourist arrivals grew to 24,010, up from 14,680 in Nov, but still -98.6% YoY. Singapore’s full-year arrivals were just 2.74 million, -85.7% YoY. Top arrivals were Indonesia, China and Australia >>
NEW 28 Jan: Employment for Singaporeans and PRs increased back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2020, whilst unemployment fell again in Dec to 4.4%. The number of retrenchments also fell >>
NEW 28 Jan: Contact tracing has become a lot faster thanks to the TraceTogether app, halving the time necessary >>
NEW 27 Jan: Singapore Tourism Board and KrisShop, Singapore Airlines’ retailer, have announced a 3-year partnership to promote local brands and create a seamless experience. They will launch a domestic campaign to highlight home-grown brands, then roll out globally. They are also looking at integrating STB’s VisitSingapore mobile app with the Krisshop.com’s features >>
NEW 27 Jan: COVID-19 tests will be offered to some airport workers at Jewel Changi and at Changi Terminal 3 after it was revealed some of the cases who have contracted the UK variant of COVID-19 visited those areas >>
NEW 26 Jan: NATAS has said that it is working with agents to discover how to create more local tours, as well as virtual tours. They are also looking at cross-business collaborations >>
NEW 25 Jan: Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas cruise ship will stay in Asia rather than head to Alaska for cruises, due to the success in resuming cruises in Singapore >>
24 Jan: Singapore passport renewals were down more than 50% YoY in 2020 >>
23 Jan: The government is tightening up restrictions over Chinese New Year to prevent community transmission, including a cap of 8 visitors per household per day, avoiding physical visits as much as possible, keeping masks on when not
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eating and drinking, and during tossing the traditional yusheng food, as well as no shouting during the tossing. Companies should not organise gatherings for Chinese New Year either. Lion and dragon dances will also be restricted >>
22 Jan: The Singapore government is looking at introducing further restrictions over Chinese New Year to stop cases spreading >>
22 Jan: HoteLux have launched their membership program in Singapore, allowing travellers to claim benefits such as complimentary room upgrade and hotel credits for an annual fee. It will focus on the staycation market first >>
22 Jan: A TripAdvisor survey has shown that 80% of Singaporeans say that they will spend more time choosing their next destination due to the pandemic, the highest of all countries surveyed >>
21 Jan: Singapore’s aerospace will have $40 million SGD allocated to it over the next 3 years by the SIA Engineering Corp, to improve aircraft efficiency and allow shorter transit times for passengers >>
20 Jan: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is looking at piloting “bed-safe” itineraries for delegates arriving into Singapore for MICE events >>
20 Jan: 40% of all Singapore-based employers are planning to add to their headcount this year >>
20 Jan: Singapore’s next Budget is expected to have very targeted support measures, and focus on sustaining jobs >>
19 Jan: The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall has refreshed its gallery >>
19 Jan: The pilot for reopening nightclubs and karaoke outlets has been postponed due to the increase in community cases >>
18 Jan: Conference and Exhibition Management Services (CEMS) are aiming for a 70% subscription rate for its physical and virtual events >>
18 Jan: CherryLoft Resorts & Hotels in Pasir Ris received a fine and has been ordered to suspend its bookings for a month after it breached safety management measures >>
18 Jan: Trip.com is continuing with its efforts to encourage Singaporeans to donate their SingapoRediscovers vouchers for those less fortunate >>
17 Jan: Singapore Art Week will take place from 22 Jan, with exhibitions, art installations and a symposium >>
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17 Jan: Some Singaporeans are using their SingapoRediscovers vouchers to be donated to underprivileged, allowing those in need to visit attractions they otherwise would not be able to afford >>
16 Jan: Sojern have discovered that domestic hotel searches increased by 73% YoY, and that Singaporeans are already planning Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day and the Mar school holidays >>
16 Jan: The Gift of Gardens, a scheme which allows underprivileged individuals to visit Gardens by the Bay for free, have had $250,000 SGD in donations, the largest amount yet >>
15 Jan: The World Economic Forum targets around 1,000 delegates and wants the Marina Bay Sands to host the event, sources have said >>
15 Jan: Green Day have cancelled their planned concert in Singapore >>
13 Jan: The Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) will be held in Singapore from 20-22 Oct, and the Alternative Ownership Conference Asia Pacific (AOCAP) from 19-20 Oct, as in-person events >>
11 Jan: More merchants have been added to the SingapoRediscovers $100 SGD scheme. There are now 206 hotels, 146 tour operators and 43 attractions eligible, with over 440 products as at 1 Jan >>
9 Jan: Concerns over privacy of data for users of the TraceTogether app have been somewhat allayed by the news that the law would be amended to limit the use of data to 7 serious criminal offences >>
8 Jan: Singapore’s unemployment rate fell in Nov for the first time in 2020, down to 3.3% from Oct’s 3.6% >>
7 Jan: Around 2,500 travellers have entered Singapore using the Reciprocal Green Lane arrangements from 8 Jun-25 Dec 2020, with just 2 testing positive. 835 came from Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, whilst 1,640 came from China, South Korea and Japan, and 15 from Germany >>
7 Jan: The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport will close for 2 weeks from 8 Jan due to a “precautionary measure” as 2 unlinked cases of workers from the hotel are investigated >>
7 Jan: Being able to travel unhindered is what Singaporeans are most looking forward to for travel in 2021, according to a new survey from Agoda. Travelling at a slower pace is also important >>
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6 Jan: More than 300,000 Singaporeans have used their SingapoRediscovers vouchers, with bookings amounting to $35.9 million SGD in vouchers and payments as of 1 Jan 2021 >>
6 Jan: 30% of employers in Singapore are not planning salary increases in 2021 >>
5 Jan: The cost of rapid COVID-19 tests has now been brought down to under $50 SGD, from its previous cost of $80 SGD >>
5 Jan: 12,000 travellers from high-risk countries entered Singapore from 18 Nov-27 Dec 2020 without pre-departure tests, and just 0.85% of these tested positive, with no cases resulting in local transmission >>
5 Jan: Selected karaoke outlets may be allowed to open without the need for a swab test, as part of a pilot program >>
5 Jan: Gardens by the Bay will resume its light and sound show from
5 Jan: Retail sales fell 1.9% YoY in Nov 2020, an improvement from 8.5% YoY in Oct >>
4 Jan: Singapore’s economy declined by 5.8% in 2020, preliminary data has shown, its first contraction since 2001, and the worst recession since independence. Q4 2020 saw a 3.8% drop, an improvement from Q3’s -5.8% >>
4 Jan: All hotel staff who are in contact with people under stay-home notices will now be tested every 2 weeks, to provide an additional safeguard in hotels >>
4 Jan: Shangri-La is offering emergency medical coverage of up to SGD 250,000 for international guests visiting under a Reciprocal Green Lane or the Air Travel Pass if they contract COVID-19 during a stay at one of the group’s hotels >>
2 Jan: Customers have been reminded that they need to book slots for Sentosa attractions after many have arrived and found they could not use their ticket >>
1 Jan: The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project has been terminated once more, after both sides didn’t reach an agreement by its 31 Dec deadline >>
31 Dec: Temporary relief from legal and enforcement action for event and tourism- related contracts will be extended until 31 Jan, to allow businesses to re-evaluate their plans in the light of the Phase 3 reopening >>
30 Dec: The aviation sector will be allocated $84 million SGD in addition to the previous benefits from the government. Funding would be used to support the adoption of technology and safety measures to protect airport workers and crew. The Transport Minister has said that the “harsh winter continues” for aviation, and Changi Airport is carrying just 2% of its previous pax levels. Licence fees for
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scheduled air services, Certificates of Airworthiness will continue to be waived, and ground handling and catering service fees will be 50% off >>
16 Sep: Singaporeans 18 years and above will receive $100 SGD in digital vouchers for the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers in Dec. The vouchers will come in denominations of $10 SGD and can be used at all licensed hotels, leisure attractions and local tours which have been approved by STB to reopen. The STB say “As to the exact extent of the catalytic effect, it will be a bit hard to predict at this point in time, but we hope that it is at least a few times what we have provided for in the budget.” >>
18 Aug: The Jobs Support Scheme has been extended by up to 7 months for workers in the tourism, aerospace and aviation industries, with wages paid at 50% from Sep to Mar 2021 >>
18 Aug: “Tourism credits” of up to $320 million SGD will be given to spend domestically, called SingapoRediscovers vouchers. The mechanism for the vouchers will be announced in Sep >>
17 Aug: $187 million SGD will be allocated to support the aviation industry further, with extended financial relief for airlines, ground handlers, cargo agents, and other aviation businesses at Changi and Selatar Airport. It includes landing, parking and rental rebates. The government said that this funding “is critical to preserving our relevance as a global hub” >>
22 Jul: The STB has launched a $33 million USD domestic travel campaign, the largest it has ever run under “SingapoRediscovers”. They will partner with Enterprise Singapore and the Sentosa Development Board, as well as tourism associations, community groups and e-commerce platforms to develop unique and value-for-money experiences and packages for local travellers. It will use 3 approaches:
1. Partner with local communities to discover off-the-beaten-track activities 2. Curate precinct activities to develop authentic experiences for “Singapolidays” 3. Collaborate with tourism players to develop quality experiences and promotions >>
26 May: The Singaporean government has launched its Fortitude Budget, worth $33 billion SGD. Measures it will take include:
• Extending the duration of wage subsidies until Aug 2020, including MICE and tourism businesses at 75% • May include further support for aviation and tourism longer-term • Rental waivers for SMEs who have significant income loss
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• One-off $100 SGD credit for every Singapoean household to cover utilities • $2 billion SGD in cash grants to SMEs to offset rental costs • Creation of 100,000 job opportunities in public and private sectors • Financial support for startups >>
24 Apr: The STB has unveiled further information about how they plan to support the local travel industry. Steps include:
• $20 million SGD Marketing Partnership Programme • Phase 1 was launched for hotels in Apr 2020, funding half of qualified marketing costs • Phase 2 will increase to funding for 70% of marketing costs for hotels, attractions, inbound travel agents and MICE • $2 million SGD SG Stories Content Fund for local and international digital video content creators to create stories about Singapore • Tourism Transformation Index to help tourism businesses go digital • Launch of ThreeHouse, an innovation space for companies to collaborate • STB Marketing College – joint scheme with UOB, Facebook, Google and LinkedIn to develop online training • Minimum financial requirement for travel agents to be reduced by 90% until 31 Dec >>
06 Apr: A Solidarity Budget has been announced to support all businesses during lockdown, including:
• Increasing wage subsidies for all sectors to 75% • Deferring contractual obligations such as paying rent • Payout of $600 SGD to every Singaporean adult >>
26 Mar: Singapore released its Resilience Package, with many measures supporting the tourism industry, including:
• Job support scheme for tourism businesses which will subsidise up to 75% of salary up to $4,600SGD/ month • $90 million SGD budget for recovery marketing when the time is right • Property tax rebates and rental waivers • Enhanced training industry Professionals in Tourism grants extended • Rebates on certain fees for private bus operators • $350 million SGD fund for airlines to fund rebates on landing and parking charges; rental relief for airlines, ground handlers and cargo agents • CAAS allow Singapore carriers and airport operator to defer payment of certain fees by up to one year, as well as 50% rebate on regulatory fees >>
18 Feb: The Singaporean government have released economic measures to support the tourism industry, including:
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1. $4 billion SGD package 2. Bridging loan programmes for businesses in tourism 3. Rental rebates for shops/ cargo agents at Changi 4. 15% property tax rebate for commercial properties in retail and food sectors 5. Licence fees for hotels, travel agents and tour guides waived by STB >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/singapore/
OUTBOUND
NEW 29 Jan: Singapore Airlines will operate their Phuket service with a Boeing 737- 800 as more SilkAir routes are transferred over >>
NEW 28 Jan: Findings of a TripAdvisor report, The Year of the Travel Rebound: 5 Traveller Trends to Watch Out for in 2021, showed:
• 11% of Singaporeans have already booked an international trip for 2021 • 90% are more likely to travel internationally if they receive the vaccine, 87% more likely to travel domestically • 26% of Singaporeans say they will only travel to destinations which require a pre-travel vaccine >>
NEW 27 Jan: Sobie Aviation forecasts that the Singapore Airlines group and Changi Airport may still see fewer pax in 2021 than in 2020 >>
NEW 26 Jan: Dynasty Travel have combined its group tours and free & easy department, as well as retrained staff and partnered with Raffles Medical Group to allow future travellers to prebook COVID tests >>
21 Jan: Changi Airport saw passenger traffic fall by 82.8% YoY in 2020, welcoming just 11.8 million pax. Apr and May saw the worst months, with a 99.5% drop YoY in traffic, and it slightly improved to 97.6% in Dec >>
21 Jan: Singapore Airlines and SilkAir passengers in Jakarta and Medan are now able to book pre-departure tests and receive their results in a one-stop portal, as part of IATA’s Travel Pass framework >>
21 Jan: Singapore Airlines has resumed its flights to Munich >>
20 Jan: Singapore Airlines has been awarded the highest rating, Diamond, in the APEX Health Safety audit >>
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20 Jan: Singapore was no longer one of the busiest airports in Asia in 2020, with Incheon International, Seoul taking the top spot >>
14 Jan: Singapore Airlines have raised $500 million USD through its first USD bond issue. The issuance as oversubscribed, and the money will be used for aircraft purchases, payments and other general purposes >>
12 Jan: Singapore Airlines crew now need to wear a tracking device for the duration of their stay overseas to ensure that they do not leave their hotel room >>
11 Jan: Singapore Airlines Group announced its group pax capacity was -81.3% YoY in Dec ’20, but month on month, it grew 46% vs Nov ’20. It expects to see he group’s passenger capacity to grow around 25% of pre-COVID numbers by end Mar, surviving around 45% of the destinations it previously did >>
7 Jan: Singapore Airlines is extending the elite status of all existing PPS Club and KrisFlyer memberships which expire between Mar 2021-Feb 2022 >>
6 Jan: The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) have launched EASE UP, a package of incentives to attract Singaporean incentives. It includes $50 USD grants per person or a dining experience of up to 300,000 THB per event, for events taking place no later than 30 Sep 2021. Delegates will also receive free airport transfers, sightseeing or CSR teambuilding activities for up to 20 delegates and for up to 20 paying guestrooms, hotels will match the same number of rooms on a complimentary basis >>
1 Jan: Singapore Airlines will carry passengers from the UK onwards to Sydney and Auckland via Changi, despite the ban on UK passengers entering Singapore, with special limitations in place >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/singapore/
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THAILAND 2020 international arrivals drop to just 6.7 million, -83% YoY
TRAVEL Certain non-Thai passengers allowed entry, including: medical tourists, filming RESTRICTIONS crews, Thailand Elite card members, foreigners who have work permits, foreigners married to Thai nationals, foreigners studying at educational institutions, Special Tourist Visa holders, foreign athletes who will participate in the Tour of Thailand 2020 bike race, Thai Airways pilots and cabin crew, holders of non-immigrant types of visa, long-stay tourist visa, holders of the APEC Business Travel Card from low-risk countries, 60-day stay tourist visas and yacht passengers. Visa on arrival for nationals of 56 countries, but certificate of entry and 14-day quarantine still required.
LOCKDOWN Thailand split into 5 lockdown classifications, with Samut Sakhon under Maroon STATUS “Maximum Control”, whilst Bangkok is under Red “High Control” and Chonburi Orange “Medium Control”. More non-essential businesses permitted to open under Red and Orange zones, as well as schools. Schools remain closed and amusement parks, MICE remains not permitted in Samut Sakhon.
Consumer sentiment Thailand tourism arrivals
% change YoY
2.50%
42.80%
-
76.10%
-
100%
100%
100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
-
-
------
Source: YouGOV Source: Ministry of Tourism & Sports Thailand 1, 2, 3
Total number of daily departures
Source: The Airline Flight Demand Tracker, Lufthansa Innovation Hub
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YoY Weekly change in flight search or booking Share of future flight booking volume volume for travel to Thailand in last 14 days to Thailand
Source: Sojern COVID-19 dashboard
TRAVEL BUBBLES & INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
NEW 30 Jan: The Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) have suggested that Thailand start travel bubble arrangements by Jul for quarantine-free travel with ASEAN low- risk countries such as Singapore, Vietnam and Laos >>
NEW 29 Jan: Sports tournaments and beauty contests will be permitted in Thailand, but participants must undergo a 14-day quarantine. No spectators would currently be permitted >>
NEW 28 Jan: A survey by the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) has shown that 60% of locals and 50% of tourism operators wants Thailand to reopen the borders to international tourists with a 14-day quarantine still in place. 60% of operators believe that tourists should use the Special Tourist Visa scheme and undergo a 14- day quarantine >>
NEW 26 Jan: The Tourism Council of Thailand will launch a new campaign, “Welcome back to Thailand again”, for vaccinated travellers in Q3 2021. They forecast that if the campaign is successful, 400,000 hotel jobs and 400,000 tourism businesses could be saved >>
NEW 26 Jan: The TAT is looking at the idea of a vaccine passport which would allow travellers to skip quarantine, as well as all-inclusive packages as part of its Project Phoenix initiative. They expect long-haul travellers to start arriving from Apr, but those nearer might arrive later. Thailand will also push for a standardised system across ASEAN to facilitate international travel >>
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NEW 24 Jan: The Minor International group and Dusit International both support the idea of vaccinated travellers allowed to skip quarantine >>
22 Jan: The Tourism Council of Thailand have floated the idea of vaccination tour packages for Q2. They would be one-month long, and would cost 150,000 THB, including a 14-day quarantine and vaccination costs. Tour operators could potentially partner with private hospitals >>
20 Jan: Foreigners who have Thai residency and would usually need to return to the country within one year, will be allowed to stay abroad until further notice >>
14 Jan: Japan has suspended its Business Track and Residence Track programs to allow overseas business travellers to visit the country, including from Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam >>
13 Jan: Golf quarantines have now been approved, with 6 resorts available, 3 in Kanchanaburi, 1 in Nakhon Nayok, 1 in Phetchaburi and 1 in Chiang Mai >>
13 Jan: The Ministry of Tourism will propose a new Hotel Quarantine program, with international arrivals being limited to their hotel rooms for the first 10 days, and then allowed to use hotel facilities for the last 4 days >>
12 Jan: The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) are calling for the government to exempt vaccinated travellers from quarantine >>
9 Jan: The Thai Hotels Association (THA) are calling for the government to start preparing guidelines for vaccinated passengers to skip the 14-day quarantine >>
8 Jan: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) have said that Thailand is still open to Special Tourist Visa holders, and that the recent outbreak has not had any impact on the numbers so far >>
6 Jan: Whilst UK arrivals are still permitted entry into Thailand, they must stay in their room for the majority of their quarantine stay, until their 2nd swab test comes back negative >>
19 Dec: The list of golf resorts for alternative state quarantine facilities will be announced next week. Golf quarantine would be limited to those travellers from low-risk countries, and must take 3 COVID-19 tests during quarantine to allow them to play golf and undertake fitness activities. 6 golf courses have applied >>
18 Dec: Tourists from 56 countries will now be allowed to enter Thailand visa free, but will still need to obtain a certificate of entry from their local embassy and a booking at a quarantine hotel. They would be subjected to a 2-week quarantine period, and the usual 30 day tourist visa would be extended to 45 days >>
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11 Dec: The Interior Ministry wants to extend visa exemption for foreign tourists from 56 countries from 30 to 45 days, with the extension running until 30 Sep 2021. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration's (CCSA) have agreed that vias exemptions will be granted to 3 groups of countries: those 56 countries, an additional 6 countries which have bilateral agreements for stays of 30 days in Thailand (Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Russia and Vietnam) and 4 countries which have bilateral agreements for 90-day stays. However, visa exemptions will not be granted to Myanmar and Cambodia. Visa on arrival will remain until 30 Dec >>
22 Nov: Thailand seems to have changed its requirement of 500,000 THB in savings for those who are applying for the Special Tourist Visa (STV), with embassies around the world either not mentioning a specific amount, or an amount which is much lower >>
11 Nov: Thailand has relaxed its tourist visa requirements, allowing visitors in for 60 days from medium-risk countries, including from Europe. Visitors will need to apply in advance, have at least 500,000 THB in savings, health insurance coverage of $100,000 USD, outpatient insurance of 40,000 THB, take a COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to arrival and carry out a 14-day quarantine on arrival >>
11 Nov: The PM welcomed the idea of a golf quarantine, although has said that it will still need approval from the CCSA >>
30 Oct: The Tourism Authority of Thailand has said that all inbound tourist sin the first phase of reopening must stay in alternative state quarantines (ASQ) in Bangkok, as direct flights to other provinces have been delayed and Bangkok has the “best equipped” public health system. Tourists will be allowed to stay in alternative local state quarantines (ALSQ) in provincial areas if there is enough demand in the 2nd phase of reopening >>
29 Oct: Foreign tourists and crew on foreign yachts will be permitted to apply for the Special Tourist Visa scheme once they arrive at immigration checkpoints >>
23 Oct: The government has clarified that tourists entering under the STV are allowed to choose the location of their quarantine hotels, whether in Bangkok or in the provinces, after a report that tourists who wanted to choose a hotel in Pattaya were blocked. The TAT have said that 13 Hong Kong tourists have been approved under the STV, and that 13 tourists from Shenzhen, two from Singapore, 118 from Shanghai and 147 from Guangzhou have submitted requests to the TAT. If there is sufficient demand, semi-commercial flights may be allowed to bring the tourists in >>
22 Oct: Overseas yachts can now dock in Thailand, but tourists and crew members will need to quarantine for 14 days on board the yacht and be tested for COVID-19
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3 times prior to entry. Officials estimate there are around 60 yachts with 600-650 crew and tourists who want to dock in Thailand, which could generate 2.1 million THB >>
10 Oct: Foreigners who own property in Thailand will be added to the list permitted to apply to enter Thailand – but they need to be able to show a balance of at least 3 million THB deposited in a Thai bank account >>
4 Oct: All Special Tourist Visa (STV) applicants must come from low-risk countries >>
1 Oct: The STV is now officially approved, with the following conditions:
• Be from a low-risk country • 14-day quarantine in ALSQ • Provide evidence of a place to stay during the long visit • Proof of payment for hotel accommodation/ hospital for quarantine • Proof of payment for accommodation once discharged from quarantine/ deed title of visitor’s property/ evidence of renting accommodation • Proof of health and accident insurance policy, covering 40,000 THB outpatient treatments, 400,000 THB inpatient treatments • Pay 2,000 THB for a visa for 90 days, which can then be renewed up to 2 times >>
30 Sep: The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration has approved 6 groups of foreigners into Thailand, including: foreign athletes who will participate in the Tour of Thailand 2020 bike race, Thai Airways pilots and cabin crew, holders of non-immigrant types of visa, long-stay tourist visa, holders of the APEC Business Travel Card from low-risk countries >>
19 Sep: Additional requirements for travellers hoping to enter Thailand under the Special Tourist Visa (STV) will need to have quarantined in their origin country (during which they will need to have been tested twice), as well as a specified minimum amount of money in their bank account. Low-risk countries will be allowed first, but no details yet have been shared as to which countries these may be >>
18 Sep: The Tourism & Sports Ministry has said that the STV will be up and running by Oct, with Bangkok as the primary destination. It has asked tour operators to start promoting long-stay packages They have clarified that foreigners who want to enter Thailand under the STV will need to enter either by charter plane or private jet, which will be issued by Thai Embassies abroad. During the first stage of reopening, there will be a limit of 3 charter flights with a maximum of 100 pax per plane >>
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27 Aug: Singapore and Thailand have agreed to speed up discussion on a reciprocal green lane for essential business travel >>
27 Aug: Thailand will allow more foreign medical tourists to enter the country from Sep, with 100 additional health facilities allowed to accept patients, bringing it to a total of 220. Hospitals have urged for processes to move faster, saying that patients have died whilst waiting for urgent medical treatment >>
26 Aug: The PM has said that Thailand needs to open to limited foreign tourists as “the country needs oxygen to breathe for survival.” He reassured the public that they would not open the whole country to unrestricted arrivals, and stringent measures would be in place >>
1 Aug: Phase 6 has now begun, and four groups of foreign visitors will be allowed entry, including foreign business representatives, film crews, medical tourists and Thailand Elite card members. These must stay in quarantine facilities on arrival >>
VACCINE
NEW 31 Jan: A Suan Dusit poll has shown that 65.99% of Thai respondents want to be vaccinated, but would rather wait to see the side effects, with just 20.7% saying that they would want to be vaccinated right away >>
NEW 30 Jan: The Thai government plans to have vaccinated 70% of its population by the end of 2022 >>
NEW 30 Jan: The AstraZeneca delivery may be delayed due to the EU limiting vaccine exports, and the vaccinations are unlikely to start on 14 Feb >>
NEW 30 Jan: The Association of Thai Travel Agents has called for the government to prioritise vaccines for people in major tourism destinations as part of its 2nd phase of rollout from May-Dec, to create herd immunity in each province. Those working in the service sector should also be prioritised >>
NEW 29 Jan: Thailand’s plan to locally produce the AstraZeneca vaccine is still on track for mass vaccinations in June, with a capacity of 18 million doses per month, an official has confirmed. However, it is still not clear how much of those would go to Thailand or to other SE Asian countries >>
NEW 27 Jan: Registration for vaccinations has been pushed back to 12 Feb >>
NEW 25 Jan: Thailand plans to vaccinate 19 million frontliners and vulnerable groups such as those over 60 years old, in phase 1 of the vaccination rollout, starting on 14 Feb. The 2nd phase of the rollout from May-Dec would be expanded to all
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regions and 3rd phase from Jan 2022, would see more of the general population being vaccinated to reach herd immunity >>
22 Jan: Sinovac is unlikely to be the first vaccine delivered and rolled out in Thailand, the Health Minister has confirmed, as it has still not been registered in China >>
22 Jan: Pattaya-Nongprue are calling to buy their own vaccines, saying that they could vaccinate 80,000 residents from their own budgets >>
21 Jan: The Thai Food and Drug Administration has approved the AstraZeneca vaccine, and 200,000 doses should arrive in Q1, with 50,000 in Feb and the remaining 150,000 in Mar and Apr. The local production for AstraZeneca could start to take place in May >>
18 Jan: Private hospital, Thonburi Healthcare Group, have ordered 1 million doses of Sinovac with the option of buying 9 million more. They plan to use the 1 million doses to vaccinate half of its staff across its hospital network. Vibhavadi Medical Centre has also ordered 10,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine >>
18 Jan: A YouGov survey has shown that Thai people are the most wiling to be inoculated out of 24 countries surveyed, at 83% >>
15 Jan: Thailand has asked more information from Sinovac on its clinic trials before delivery >>
14 Jan: AstraZeneca and Sinovac are both seeking vaccine registration in Thailand >>
13 Jan: Local administrations will be permitted to purchase their own COVID-19 vaccines and conduct their own campaigns. The government in general is planning to provide 2 million free doses to frontlines in Feb, and in May to launch a mass free vaccination drive with 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine >>
12 Jan: Thailand is aiming to vaccinate 33 million people by the end of 2021 >>
8 Jan: Thailand’s vaccine program will receive 200,000 doses from Sinovac in Feb, which will be given to medical personnel in the 5 provinces under maximum COVID-19 controls: Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chon Buri, Trat and Chanthaburi. Mar and Apr would see 800,000 and 1 million doses. By May, 26 million doses will be accepted for general vaccination >>
8 Jan: Thai residents will be able to start signing up for the first round of vaccines at the end of Jan >>
7 Jan: The 2 million additional doses which the Thai government has secured are from Sinovac >>
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5 Jan: The Thai PM has said that Thailand has ordered an additional 35 million AstraZeneca doses, creating a total of 63 million doses pipeline so far >>
2 Jan: Thailand will increase the number of vaccines and speed up the timeline for inoculations. It has also contacted AstraZeneca to obtain another 26 million doses >>
4 Dec: The Public Health Ministry have said that 13 million Thais will be vaccinated by mid-2021, for free, although private suppliers may charge for it >>
29 Nov: Thailand signed a deal with AstraZeneca for 26 million doses of their vaccine, expected to be delivered mid-2021 >>
INBOUND
NEW 31 Jan: Stranded foreign tourists are able to stay in Thailand until 30 May, the Immigration Bureau has announced >>
NEW 31 Jan: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is planning a tourism concept called “SEXY”: Safety & hygiene, Environmental sustainability, extra eXperiences and Yield. The Yield part will focus on high-value tourism, reflecting the TAT’s move from mass tourism towards responsible tourism >>
NEW 31 Jan: The International Aviation College of Nakhon Phanom University is urging for government financial help, otherwise it could be forced to shut down >>
NEW 31 Jan: The government expects 10 million people to register for the government’s We Win economic relief app by the end of the registration period, with 7 million already signed up >>
NEW 30 Jan: New colour coding and lockdown measures will be implemented from 1 Feb across the country:
• Maroon – maximum control – Samut Sakhon. All entertainment venues closed, schools closed, amusement parks closed, MICE closed. Hotels allowed to open, but must use tracking system to check on numbers of guests • Red – high control – Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi. Entertainment venues closed, restaurants can operate until 11pm, schools can open with small class sizes, MICE limited to 100 pax, massage open • Orange – medium control - Kanchanaburi, Chanthaburi, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Chai Nat, Trat, Tak, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Prachinburi, Phetchaburi, Rayong, Ratchaburi, Lopburi, Samut Songkhram, Sa Kaew, Saraburi, Suphanburi, Ayutthaya and Ang Thong. Entertainment allowed to
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operate, restaurants open until 11pm, MICE with maximum of 300 pax, schools can open with small classes, conventions/ exhibitions allowed • Yellow – High surveillance - Kamphaeng Phet, Chaiyaphum, Chumphon, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Narathiwat, Buri Ram, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phang Nga, Phetchabun, Yala, Ranong, Songkhla, Sukhothai, Surat Thani and Uthai Thani. Entertainment and restaurants open until midnight, people travelling from high-risk areas to be screened • Green – Under Surveillance – rest of country >>
NEW 30 Jan: Chon Buri and Pattaya have seen their restrictions eased as it moves into an orange zone from 1 Feb. More businesses are allowed to open, including restaurants and bars. Schools will be allowed to reopen, but activities with more than 300 people are not yet allowed. The governor also ordered a hotel closure on 28 Jan at the industry’s request, to allow hotel staff to claim unemployment benefits >>
NEW 30 Jan: The Tourism Council of Thailand is aiming to establish the Tourism Labor Bank assistance program for displaced tourism workers, They will develop a tourism establishment database to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on tourism jobs and prevent further losses. Tourism workers could join upskilling training and reskilling >>
NEW 29 Jan: 800 hotels, restaurants and shops are accused of defrauding the We Travel Together tourism stimulus scheme >>
NEW 29 Jan: The PM has reassured the public that the outbreak, availability of hospital beds and disease control measures are still in acceptable levels, and that whilst the number of cases is high, this is down to mass screening >>
NEW 29 Jan: The TAT continues to work on overseas promotion initiatives in Europe and Canada. In particular, Finland has reported 10 times the volume of its Winter Package 2021 to Thailand, after Finnish tourists’ high trust in vaccines is driving travel desire >>
NEW 29 Jan: The Krabi Tourism Council have said that 450 hotels are temporarily closed out of 900, whilst the Tourism Association of Koh Samui has said that up to 100 hotels in Koh Samui have been put up for sale, with 70—80% of shops closed. The Thai Travel Agents Association has said that 50 outbound travel agents have gone bankrupt, whilst 400-500 have closed out of a previous 850 >>
NEW 29 Jan: Attractions in Loei are reopening, including the Chiang Khan Skywalk and the Phu Kradueng and Phu Pa Po national parks >>
NEW 29 Jan: A 4,000 THB financial relief package for employees under social security is being considered by the cabinet >>
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NEW 29 Jan: Agoda has said that family travel is the dominant types of travellers for their customers so far in Thailand in 2021 >>
NEW 28 Jan: The Exim Bank is planning to propose soft loans for the aviation industry to the Finance Ministry, helping airlines’ liquidity to allow them to retain employees. Loans would principally be offered to Thai-owned airline businesses >>
NEW 28 Jan: The Finance Ministry has cut its 2021 GDP forecast to 2.8% from a previous 4.5% growth. It expects just 5 million tourists, down 25% YoY and lower than the 8 million previously predicted >>
NEW 28 Jan: Centara Hotels & Resorts have launched a “Work from Hotel Centara” campaign across Thailand for extended stays >>
NEW 28 Jan: The TAT Seoul office have launched a new B2B minisite, Again Thailand Minisite, aiming to connect Thai businesses with outbound Korean travel agents >>
NEW 28 Jan: The TCT’s Thailand Tourism Confidence Index for Q4 2020 fell to 62, below the medium level of 100. 85% of businesses continued to operate, but 50% have reduced the number of employees or employees’ wages. The Q1 2021 Tourism Confidence Index is forecast to fall lower to 53 points, due to the virus resurgence >>
NEW 27 Jan: The Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter has said that the lifting of a 14-day quarantine period for visitors to Chon Buri offered hope to the industry. Pattaya businesses are working together with the local TAT office to promote the city for Songkran festival, and also rebrand it with a focus on daytime activities >>
NEW 27 Jan: Bangkok Airways will resume its Bangkok – Trat and Bangkok – Sukhothai flights from 1 Feb >>
NEW 27 Jan: Most schools nationwide, with the exception of Samut Sakhon province, will reopen on 1 Feb >>
NEW 26 Jan: STR and C9 Hotelworks saw the hotel occupancy of Thailand fall to 23.5% in 2020, compared to 72% in 2019. STR forecasts hotel occupancy to grow to 37.7% in 2021. The Thai Hotels Association has called 2021 “dangerous” as many hotels may be forced to close, especially after the Jan lockdown. Only 30-40% of hotels in major Thai tourism destinations remain opened >>
NEW 26 Jan: The Tourism & Sports Ministry have said that they are looking to attract international film crews to film in Thailand, especially those which would spend over 100 mil THB with well-known directors or A-list actors. 2020 income from films was 1.73 bil THB, down from 2019’s 4.86 bil THB. In H1 2021, 136 film crews have applied to film, with potential revenue of 850 bil THB >>
NEW 26 Jan: Thailand recorded its largest increase in daily cases, 959 >>
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NEW 26 Jan: The TCT have said that 1 million more tourism workers could lose their jobs in Q1 2021, and relief measures are desperately needed, including wage subsides, utility bill cuts and a debt moratorium. It estimates 1 million workers have already lost their jobs >>
NEW 25 Jan: Chatuchak’s visitors have dropped by up to 90%, with many vendors having no sales at all >>
NEW 25 Jan: Thailand’s 2020 international arrivals dropped 83% to 6.7 million only. Dec saw just 6,556 tourists in Dec, a 99.8% fall. 2020 spend was $11 billion USD, down from 2019’s $63.75 USD in 2019. The planning agency forecasts just 5 million international arrivals in 2021 >>
NEW 25 Jan: The TAT should look at more promotional campaigns in Q2 to offset the opportunity cost of Q1’s 138 bil THB. TAT have set a 1.2 trillion THB tourism revenue target in 2021, with the domestic market generating 58% and international market 42% >>
NEW 25 Jan: The TAT is launching VR tours of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Surat Thani’s top attractions >>
NEW 25 Jan: A TAT survey from between 10-12 Jan has shown that 34.7% of tourism related businesses have closed and gone out of business >>
24 Jan: Phuket will lift the 14-day mandatory quarantine on people arriving from Bangkok and Samut Prakan to encourage domestic tourism >>
23 Jan: The Deputy Public Health Minister has said that restrictions in Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Sa Kaeo, Prachin Buri, Nakhon Nayok and Chachoengsao are expected to be eased >>
23 Jan: Schools in Thailand’s 28 red zone provinces will be allowed to resume onsite learning from 1 Feb, but if infection rates increase, this decision may have to be reconsidered. However, those in Samut Sakhon would likely still be closed >>
23 Jan: Thailand’s Eastern provinces (Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat) are waiting for a relaxation in their restrictions, given that the number of cases has dropped and just 1 case has been detected in the 4 provinces over the past 2 days >>
23 Jan: Phuket tourism industry players are calling for the province to end the 14- day mandatory quarantine from those arriving from Bangkok, to try to revive its industry. They also urged the governor to start preparing for international tourists to arrive from Oct, allowing those who are vaccinated to enter, so long as the Phuket population were 70% vaccinated >>
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23 Jan: The Pattaya Business & Tourism Association are planning a domestic marketing campaign once the lockdowns are lifted to promote Chonburi. They are also looking at offering affordable health insurance >>
23 Jan: The government’s co-pay scheme generated 70 billion THB through the economy between 1 Oct 2020 to 21 Jan 2021. 51% of that amount was spent by the registrant, the remaining amount through the government >>
23 Jan: A TAT survey has shown that the key needs for tour operators include aid measures to reduce costs (92.6%), including a wage subsidy scheme, and the lowering of electricity and water bills, a debt holiday (81.2%), lower interest rates and suspension of principal payments (79.9%) and financial aid (78.8%). 63.5% of the 1,884 tourism businesses surveyed were still operating >>
22 Jan: The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has extended its relief measures for airlines in Q1, including a 50% discount on landing charges for international and domestic flights, a waiver of parking charges for airlines who have suspended operations, 50% reduction on parking charges for those other airlines and an extension of 50% discount for air navigation services for domestic flights, 20% for international flights >>
22 Jan: The Airports of Thailand are extending the payment terms for its concession charges, official rentals and service fees. For Feb to Jul instalments, it will be extended to 18 months, whilst Aug-Dec will be extended to 12 months >>
22 Jan: The Tourism Council of Thailand are planning to partner with the Federation of Thai Industries, to offer its 100,000 workers special packages to drive domestic tourism >>
21 Jan: The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority will now allow 13 services to reopen in the city from 22 Jan, including elderly care centres, party venues for maximum 300 pax and spa and Thai massage parlours. However, pubs and bars, boxing stadiums, children’s childcare centres and water parks must remain closed >>
21 Jan: The TAT is working on activities to keep awareness of Thailand high in China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan >>
21 Jan: The Thai Finance Minister has forecast growth of 3-4% in 2021, less than previously forecast >>
21 Jan: A 300 THB fee will be collected from foreign visitors in 2021, to establish a tourism fund, allowing operators to claim from it during crises. The final plan and guidelines are still in process and would be submitted for approval in Feb >>
21 Jan: The government’s co-spending payment scheme saw all 1.34 million rights being registered in just 9 minutes >>
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20 Jan: Thailand is planning to introduce a curriculum to promote marihuana in recipes and products, in conjunction with community businesses to grow the plant. The Health Minister has said that these would be the “new must-taste menu” once the country is opened again >>
20 Jan: Kanchanaburi hotels will be permitted to reopen, so long as they follow disease control measures >>
20 Jan: The Airports of Thailand (AOT) have said that they recorded a loss of over 10 billion THB in fiscal year 2021, its first operating loss in its 40-year history >>
20 Jan: 210 billion THB of financial aid has been approved, under the campaign ”Rao Chana”. A total of 7,000 THB will be distributed per person over 2 months, covering 31 million people impacted by the pandemic >>
19 Jan: The government has said that the number of cases are lower, but they are still concerned over the outbreak in Samut Sakhon >>
18 Jan: The government is preparing a new soft loan program to help SMEs, which would be made available through the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand (SME D Bank) >>
18 Jan: The ASEAN Tourism Association has warned that 70% of Thailand’s travel associations could close permanently in Thailand if there was no government assistance >>
18 Jan: Thai AirAsia will ask 75% of its staff to take no-pay leave for 4 months starting from Feb, after the airline downsizes to match demand. The airline is now flying only 10 planes, compared to 40 prior to the 2nd wave. Thai AirAsia thinks there is little hope of financial support from the government and is trying to secure its own loans instead >>
18 Jan: The Thai Hotels Association (THA) has said that up to 80% of its 930 members stopped operations in 2020. However, the THA predicts that the independent and SME hotels are at the highest risk of closure, and expects more hotels to close in 2021 >>
17 Jan: The Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association donated more than 1.1 million THB to Chiang Mai elephant camos for the provision of food for the elephants >>
17 Jan: Chiang Mai International Airport is now serving just Bangkok, with only 1,300 pax per day passing through the airports, down 85% prior to the 2nd wave >>
16 Jan: The order to close hotels and resorts in Kanchanaburi was surprising to many in the tourism industry due to the low number of cases. The governor has said the closure will not last more than one month >>
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16 Jan: Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok underwent a spot audit of its following of the Amazing Thailand SHA certificate and was found satisfactory >>
16 Jan: The expansion of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport has been approved by a panel, to ensure that it can cope with the traffic once demand increases. It will now seek opinions from IATA and ICAO before being submitted to the cabinet >>
16 Jan: Nok Air has said that it can continue its business operations for another 6 months, but it has had to revise its rehabilitation plan given the new domestic travel situation in Thailand. The airline has said that predicting the number of pax is still hard, and load factor had dropped to 40% before the 2nd wave. If the virus is not contained by Feb, it may have to implement leave without pay for staff >>
15 Jan: The Bank of Thailand have set that they may cut their growth forecast for 2021 due to the new wave. This new wave could impact its forecast by 1-4% depending on the severity >>
15 Jan: Bloomberg claim that at least 931 registered tourism-related businesses closed down in 2020 >>
15 Jan: Bangkok is being affected by “unhealthy” levels of haze >>
15 Jan: Nakhon Phanom University’s International Aviation College is investigating the disappearance of 200 million THB from its budget >>
15 Jan: Non-performing loans of SMEs is now valued at 229 billion THB, with tour operators and small restaurants the worst hit, the Federation of Thai SMEs has said >>
15 Jan: The National Tourism Policy Committee have approved the guidelines for collecting 300 THB from each international visitor. This will be used for managing local tourist destinations, as well as insurance benefits. The Tourism Minister expects Thailand will receive 10 million international arrivals this year >>
15 Jan: The Thai Hotels Association has said that hotels are delaying whether to join the Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) program, as bookings have slowed down. The ASQ-ALQ Club Thailand have seen occupancy drop by 30% to 6,000- 7,000 rooms per day from 9,500 in Dec, with a low response expected in Feb >>
14 Jan: The Thailand Yacht Show 2021, which was to take place in Phuket, has been postponed from 11-14 Feb to later in the year >>
14 Jan: A man under the influence of drugs managed to breach airport security at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, and drive his car onto the runway >>
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14 Jan: Pattaya hotels continue to call for the government to order the temporary closure of hotels there, so that their employees can claim unemployment benefit >>
14 Jan: The Pattaya Mayor has criticised tourism groups for complaining publicly about the government not helping them, when they should have come to him first >>
14 Jan: The Association of Domestic Travel is still confidence about achieving the government’s goal of 200 million domestic tourists, but cautioned that more support through stimulus measures would be required. Their goal is to restart interprovincial trips by Mar. Only 20% of their members are currently operating. They also proposed a co-pay domestic tour program, with the government subsidising 50% of tour packages, limited to 3,000 THB for 2 million packages >>
13 Jan: Community based homestays and tourism attractions are having their health and safety standards enhanced through the Amazing Thailand SHA scheme. They are also planning through the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) to roll out 4-5 new campaigns to promote tourism confidence >>
13 Jan: The Cabinet has approved 2 cash handouts of 3,500 THB for those severely affected by the pandemic, cuts to electricity and water fees, an increase of internet speed and a 200 billion THB fund for soft loans to SMEs with 10,000-50,000 to each debtor at low interest rates >>
13 Jan: The Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Thai Industries have welcomed the government’s new handouts, saying that will start to help, but more aid packages need to be provided to hotels to retain their employees >>
13 Jan: The Bank of Thailand have extended financial relief measures until Jun 2021 >>
12 Jan: The Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok are now welcoming local Thais and expats who want to undergo self-quarantine >>
12 Jan: The Ministry of Tourism has gathered inputs from the tourism industry on ideas for financial aid, and will submit them to the PM for consideration >>
12 Jan: The TAT have said that they will delay the implementation of a domestic travel campaign targeting senior citizens to Mar or Apr >>
12 Jan: Phuket will carry out screening measures for those entering the province, including those arriving from 20 “red zone” provinces to self-quarantine for 14 days, and those from “high risk” areas to have a swab test. The self-quarantine may be more of a guideline, rather than enforced requirement >>
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12 Jan: Thailand has one of the highest tourism revenue losses globally in 2020, according to Official ESTA, coming in 4th place with an estimated $37,504 million USD of loss >>
12 Jan: The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) estimate that 30% of its 10,000 registered inbound tourism companies have closed down permanently and 50% temporarily. The remaining 20% have pivoted to the domestic market >>
11 Jan: According to TV4 Nyheterna, Swedish holiday bookings have increased greatly in the last few weeks due to the positive news about the vaccines. Ticket.se have seen an increase of more than 50% of winter bookings for winter 2022 to Thailand, amongst other destinations >>
11 Jan: The Tourism Council of Thailand are calling for a long-term debt moratorium, electricity bill cuts and more skill training courses for tourism workers >>
11 Jan: Household debt is at the highest levels it has been in 12 years, at ~480,000 THB per household >>
11 Jan: Chiang Mai Tourism Industry Council have said that no cash handouts will be given to tourists who contract COVID-19 in the province, after earlier pledges to pay 100,000 THB in the early Dec outbreak >>
10 Jan: The Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter estimates that 80% of tourism businesses in Pattaya have already closed, and blames the government for the 2nd wave due to “corrupt” officials >>
10 Jan: Domestic air travel has dropped by 60% since the start of 2021, the Department of Airports has said. Its 20 airports dropped from an average of 30,000 domestic pax/ day to 12,000. In 2021, the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (ART) said that domestic and international flights dropped 55% to 464,944 in 2020 >>
10 Jan: The Tourism Ministry has said that Thailand should focus on long-stay and wealthy foreign visitors, something which the Tourism Council of Thailand agrees with. The TAT expects just 10 million tourists in 2022, the majority in the last third of the year, and 21 million in 2021 in best-case scenarios. The Airports of Thailand forecast its airports will welcome 446,986 scheduled commercial flights and 47.9 million pax, with air traffic not returning to 2019 levels until 2023 >>
9 Jan: The TAT expects tourism revenue to increase 44.6% in 2021 to 1.3 trillion THB, with just 500 billion THB coming from international revenue. It forecasts 120 million domestic trips, and in 2022 180 million domestic trips. They have called 2021 a “transitional year” for Thai tourism, and see a late rush in the latter part of the year. It also wants to see the average amount spent by international visitors
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increase from 47,000 THB in 2019 to 62,000 THB in 2022, and Thai domestic expenditure to increase from 4,700 THB to 4,900 THB >>
9 Jan: The Thai Hotels Association (THA) are calling for the government to provide a 50% wage subsidy scheme, with payment capped at 7,500 THB >>
9 Jan: The We Travel Together scheme has so far generated 5.12 million room nights worth 13.6 billion THB, and 357,752 air tickets worth 952 million THB as of 6 Jan. 5,343 hotels have received bookings >>
9 Jan: People travelling to and from Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chon Buri, Chanthaburi and Trat provinces need to have official documents stating the need for their travel. They will also need the Mor Chana app installed on their phones, and will be checked for fever >>
9 Jan: The Eastern Hotel Association is asking the Chon Buri government to officially close hotels in the province, to allow the staff to collect government benefits >>
9 Jan: The Public Health Ministry has said that it is confident that the new outbreak will slow down by the end of Jan, as it has not seen new cases in 7 days in 20 provinces >>
9 Jan: The Finance Ministry will propose relief measures for borrowers in 33 provinces affected by the restrictions, including a debt holiday, suspension of principal repayment and interest reduction >>
8 Jan: Thai Vietjet have launched the Thailand Power Pass, an unlimited flight pass for their domestic network, with a validity of 6 or 12 months >>
8 Jan: The Thailand Hotels Association Southern Chapter has said that hotels are temporarily closing again in Phuket, but does not have an exact number of how many. They warned that the crisis in Phuket “will reach its peak this year […] both small and big businesses are going to die in the same way this year.” Phuket International Airport confirmed that airlines had reduced the number of flights to Phuket for the remainder of Jan, and that from 1-5 Jan, 38,915 pax used the airport, compared to 115,741 in 2020, down 69.4% YoY >>
8 Jan: Thai AirAsia has said that the 2nd wave has “destroyed the low-cost carrier”, and that travel sentiment has “plunged lower than last year.” Its numbers dropped by more than 50% with the cancellation of many flights and some flights having just 20-30 pax in total on board. They are still waiting to hear from the government on financial aid >>
8 Jan: People must wear face masks in Phuket in public areas, or face a 20,000 THB fine >>
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8 Jan: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau had 52 sales leads during the IBTM World Virtual 2020, estimating they are worth 743.40 million THB in revenue if they materialised >>
8 Jan: The Central Bank forecasts inbound arrivals to be 5.5 million in 2021, down from its initial projection of 9 million. Thailand received 6.7 million tourists from Jan-Nov 2020, down 81.4% YoY >>
8 Jan: Consumer sentiment dropped for the first time in 3 months to 50.1 in Dec, down from Nov’s 52.4, amid uncertainty with the 2nd wave >>
8 Jan: The Tourism Council of Thailand have said just 30% of tourism businesses are still operating >>
8 Jan: Sightseeing trains will be suspended from 9 Jan, and 30 regular passenger trains will be suspended from 13 Jan to help contain the spread >>
8 Jan: U-Tapao International Airport near Pattaya has cancelled all flights until at least 31 Jan >>
8 Jan: The Thai Hotels Association northern chapter has said that hotel occupancy in Chiang Mai has fallen to 10%, with some hotels temporarily closing >>
7 Jan: 4 new electric rail routes will be added in Bangkok in 2021, including the Pink Line, Yellow Line and 2 Red Lines routes >>
7 Jan: All travellers from any of the 28 red zone provinces will need to undergo swab tests and a 14-day quarantine on arrival to Phuket, pending the release of the official announcement >>
7 Jan: Travellers who travel from the 28 red zone provinces and conceal their travel timeline could be given a 2-year prison sentence or a 40,000 THB fine >>
7 Jan: Thai Smile now has 428 bookable flights, down 48% YoY, but still more than Thai Airways, who has just 20 flights >>
7 Jan: The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce has said that the Thai economy could lose 300 billion THB in Q1 due to the drop in consumer confidence and restrictions >>
7 Jan: The government has confirmed that people who have cancelled or postponed hotel bookings under the We Travel Together domestic stimulus scheme will not lose their privileges, and they are still working together with OTAs and hotels to find a solution for tourists who have already paid >>
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7 Jan: Spending more time with loved ones is what Thais are most looking forward to for travel in 2021, according to a new survey from Agoda. 14% are also committed to consciously supporting less touristy destinations >>
6 Jan: Certain national parks will close accommodation and attractions across Thailand >>
6 Jan: Bangkok Airways has temporarily reduced some of its routes, as well as postponed the launch of new routes from 8 Jan until further notice, including the new routes Bangkok-Hat Yai, Bangkok-Khon Kaen and Bangkok-Mae Sot >>
6 Jan: All entertainment, bars and pubs must close for 14 days in Chiang Mai >>
6 Jan: Nusasiri, a real estate developer, and the World Medical Alliance have partnered with the Thai Elite Privilege Card scheme to increase investment and tourism in Thailand >>
6 Jan: The Phra That Phanom festival in Nakhon Phanom has been postponed due to the 2nd wave >>
6 Jan: The Tourism Ministry has said that Thailand will need to rebuild its image as a safe destination once more >>
6 Jan: The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) have launched EASE UP, a package of incentives to attract Singaporean incentives. It includes $50 USD grants per person or a dining experience of up to 300,000 THB per event, for events taking place no later than 30 Sep 2021. Delegates will also receive free airport transfers, sightseeing or CSR teambuilding activities for up to 20 delegates and for up to 20 paying guestrooms, hotels will match the same number of rooms on a complimentary basis >>
5 Jan: Chon Buri have tightened restrictions and people must wear a face mask outside of their home, or face a 20,000 THB fine >>
5 Jan: The Emergency Decree will be extended until 28 Feb >>
5 Jan: Over 10,000 schools have been closed across Thailand until 31 Jan >>
5 Jan: The Thailand Tourism Forum has been postponed from 18 Jan to a later, unspecified date >>
5 Jan: More than 100,000 workers have lost their jobs or been suspended due to the new lockdown restrictions. Insured workers will now be able to claim under the Social Security Act and will be entitled to 50% of their daily wage for the whole lockdown period for a maximum of 90 days and a maximum ceiling of 500 THB as a daily wage >>
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4 Jan: The TAT organised an Amazing Thailand Health and Wellness Virtual Trade Meet 2020, with 49 Thai suppliers and 82 buyers from 27 countries >>
4 Jan: Bangok’s restaurants will still be allowed to serve dine-in customers between 6am-9pm, after the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration overturned a government decision to limit restaurant operating hours >>
4 Jan: Thailand’s MICE industry saw a drop of 60% in its fiscal year of 1 Oct 2019- 30 Sep 2020, with 500,090 foreign MICE visitors contributing 29.8 billion THB and 10 million domestic MICE travellers, generating 31.5 billion THB, according to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) >>
4 Jan: Insurance companies have introduced a seasonal travel insurance package which provides compensation should the holder contract COVID-19 >>
4 Jan: The Tourism Ministry is considering seeking an extension to the We Travel Together scheme until 31 Oct >>
3 Jan: The majority of Thai respondents in a NIDA poll believe that the economy will get worse in 2021 >>
3 Jan: Thailand’s national parks will still be open for tourists, but visitors should register in advance >>
3 Jan: Stricter measures have been declared for 28 red zone provinces, from 4 Jan to 1 Feb. Provinces will be split under tier 1 and tier 2 restrictions. Tier 1 includes restricting operating hours, restrictions of activities which would generate crowds, interprovincial travel advised against, people being requested to work from home and target school closures. Tier 2 would include more businesses closed, interprovincial travel bans, all residents working from home and curfews >>
3 Jan: Bangkok has announced maximum disease control in 3 districts: Bang Phlat, Nong Khaem, Bang Khun Tien. This will allow districts to close businesses which have high-risks of transmission. It has also closed service venues, pubs, bars, water parks, amusement parks, children’s playgrounds, internet cafes, cockfight pits, daycare centers, boxing stadiums, martial arts schools, gyms, bathhouses, massage parlors, stadia, conference halls and similar venues, pre-schools, school buildings and facilities, tutoring schools and educational institutes until 17 Jan >>
3 Jan: The Deputy Health Minister has unveiled plans for Chonburi, Rayong and Chanthaburi to be sealed off, with no-one able to enter or leave without permission, called Level 2. It is waiting approval >>
3 Jan: Thailand’s second phase of the co-pay scheme opened for use on 1 Jan >>
3 Jan: The Tourism Association of Koh Samui has said that Koh Samui has lost 50 billion THB in revenue in 2020, and of 660 hotels, only 180 are now open >>
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2 Jan: The Tourism Council of Thailand has said that some hotels in Pattaya have seen less than 10% occupancy. The Thai Hotels Association eastern chapter has also called for the government to quickly contain the outbreak to create consumer confidence to travel in Feb for Chinese New Year >>
2 Jan: The government will compensate employees who lose work due to COVID- 19 by paying 50% of their salary for up to 90 days >>
2 Jan: The local ferry operator in Koh Samui had to add more services to meet demand due to queues to enter the island >>
2 Jan: The Social Security Office will reduce the contribution required from employers and employees to the worker welfare fund for 3 months, from Jan-Mar 2021 >>
1 Jan: The additional long holidays the government has announced will boost domestic tourism, the Thai Chamber of Commerce has said >>
4 Dec: The government has approved changes to the domestic tourism stimulus, We Travel Together, including:
• Airline ticket rebates of 3,000 THB (up from 2,000 THB) for selected destinations (Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai) • Daily vouchers of up to 900 THB (up from 600 THB) which can be used for entrance fees, F&B, massage or even car rentals • 15 nights of hotel bookings can be subsidised at a 40% rate, capped at 3,000 THB/ night • Civil servants get an additional 2 days leave if they use the campaign • Tourism packages sold via tour operators for those over 55 years old on working days to be subsidised at 5,000 THB per pax with a minimum package price of 12,500 THB • Extended until 30 April >>
5 Nov: The Thai government has approved the expansion and extension of loan plans for SMEs, raising the credit limit to 100 million THB from 20 million THB. Qualification requirements will also be eased, to make it easier for tourism SMEs to access funding >>
3 Nov: The Thai government has approved a tax cut on jet fuel from 4.726 THB to 0.20 THB, effective 3 Nov until 30 Apr 2021 , to help airlines reduce costs >>
29 Oct: The cabinet has approved a 66.68 million THB project by the Tourism and Sports Ministry to organise training for 12,000 tourism workers, a 19.12 million THB project to upgrade sand dunes in Chumphon to become an ecotourism
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destination and a 4 million THB project to upgrade the service quality of tourism entrepreneurs in Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Ranong >>
8 Oct: The government’s We Travel Together program and the Encouragement domestic tourism stimulus program has been extended to 31 Jan 2021 >>
8 Oct: The Centre for Economic Situation Administration (Cesa) approved the proposal to give taxpayers income tax deductions of up to 30,000 THB for products and services with 7% VAT, to boost consumption. This will run from 23 Oct – 31 Dec. Accommodation and air tickets will be excluded from the program. They also approved a change to the domestic tourism stimulus package, which will allow them to use e-vouchers to pay for food, entrance fees at tourist attractions. More health workers will also be included in the health workers tourism program >>
3 Sep: More economic stimulus measures have been approved, with a 50% subsidy for products purchased from street vendors and retailers of 3,000 THB per person. Food coupons used for travel between Mon-Thu worth 900 THB and on Fri-Sun worth 600 THB have also been approved. Graduates will also have 50% of their salaries covered by the government, at a maximum of 7,500 THB/ month from 1 Oct to 30 Sep 2021 >>
1 Sep: Expats will be given a 500 THB discount for domestic travel in Thailand, with a budget of 2 million THB in total, to be registered for at the Expat Travel Deal 2020 fair in Bangkok >>
28 Aug: The PM has agreed to give 24 billion THB in soft loans to Thai airlines, which will be available from Oct and keep the airlines afloat for another year. This was after a meeting with Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, Thai Smile, Thai Lion Air, Thai Viet Jet, Bangkok Airways and Nok Air. The government asked them to maintain staff and have also confirmed that the waivers and reductions of surcharges and aviation fees has been extended until Mar 2022 >>
20 Aug: The new National Economic and Social Development Council announced subsidies for local tourists, and plan to make jobs for 400,000 new graduates. They will extend their 40% subsidy from five to 10 nights, as only 660,000 of 5 million nights have been booked already. Air ticket subsidies will also be extended to 2,000 THB, and corporate companies will also be able to register to use them as incentives for employees or other business purposes >>
17 Jun: The domestic tourism stimulus packages worth 22.4 billion THB has been approved, including:
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1. 2.4 billion THB fund for 1.2 million health volunteers and hospital officials which will subsidise 2,000 THB for a trip of at least 2D1N and must be booked via tour firms, expected to help 13,000 tour firms 2. 18 billion THB fund for 5 million nights at hotel accommodation at 40% of normal room rates (subsidy limited to 3,000 THB/ night up to 5 nights). Other services, such as food, are capped at 600 THB/ room/ night, and must be outside of the traveller’s home province 3. 2 billion THB fund to subsidise domestic flight fares, inter-provincial bus fares and car rental fees for 2 million people. It will pay up to 40% of expenses, limited to 1,000 THB/ tourist >>
31 May: Parliament approved a close to $60 billion USD stimulus package, some of which will be used to boost purchasing power, healthcare readiness and aid to farmers and informal workers >>
27 May: Parliament was urged to approve the biggest stimulus package yet, worth $59.6 billion USD >>
12 May: A plan to spend $12.45 billion USD to create jobs and stimulate the economy has been approved by Thailand’s cabinet >>
07 Apr: A 3rd phase of economic stimulus has been approved, valued at 1.9 trillion THB, including cash handouts and economic recovery measures. The Bank of Thailand will also allocate 500 billion THB in soft loans to SMEs, and allow interest payments to be postponed for 6 months >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/thailand/
OUTBOUND
NEW 29 Jan: Outbound tour operators are planning to restart tour packages with limited options at the year-end, but the TTAA have said that operators are waiting for more concrete plans from the government on border openings. They predict that outbound tours may operate with groups of 10 pax, and this trend to last for a couple of years. They will also sell premium domestic packages for those less confident for outbound travel >>
NEW 28 Jan: Thai Airways has now had its proposed rehabilitation plan deadline extended to 2 Mar >>
22 Jan: Thai Airways have said that they are still on track with their debt rehabilitation plan >>
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19 Jan: 65-70% of outbound travel agents closed indefinitely, according to the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), whilst 10% have given up their licences, particularly after the 2nd wave. 2,598 tour operators closed down permanently in 2020, with deregistration the highest in Q4, at 765, with 293 of these in Dec alone. The TTAA have also postponed their Thai International Travel Fair to 26-29 Aug from its Feb date. They have said that in 2020, 1 million Thai tourists travelled outbound, with a spend of 50 billion THB >>
8 Jan: Thai Airways are reducing their international network to 10 cities until 27 Mar, including Hong Kong, Manila, Osaka, Seoul, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo Narita, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and London >>
5 Jan: Thai Airways’ debt rehabilitation submission deadline has been extended until 4 Feb >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/thailand/
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VIETNAM 2020 international arrivals down 78.7%.
TRAVEL Tourists will not be permitted to enter Vietnam. International commercial flights RESTRICTIONS temporarily stopped. Experts, business managers or highly skilled workers can enter with relevant permissions. Domestic flights permitted.
LOCKDOWN Businesses, including non-essential ones, schools, open in majority of country. STATUS Face masks should be worn in public places. Social distancing enforced in Quang Ninh province’s Van Don and Dong Treu districts, lockdown in Cai Rong, Binh Duong, Thuy Sinh, An Sinh and Nguyen Hue. All flights to Van Dong International Airport suspended. Hai Duong province’s Chi Linh town under lockdown. Bac Ninh Province observing social distancing measures. Hanoi has closed its schools early for the Tet holidays, and large gatherings are suspended.
Consumer sentiment Vietnam tourism arrivals
% change YoY
32.80%
20
20 20 20 20
20 20
20
20 20
20
20
-
- - - -
- -
-
- -
-
-
JUL
JAN
JUN
SEP
FEB
APR
DEC
OCT
AUG
NOV
MAY
MAR
21.80%
-
68.10%
-
98%
-
94.80%
-
99.30% 98.90% 98.90% 99.00% 99.10% 99.00% 99.00%
------Source: YouGOV Source: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism
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YoY Weekly change in flight search or booking Share of future flight booking volume for travel to Vietnam volume in last 14 days to Vietnam
Source: Sojern COVID-19 dashboard Total number of daily departures
Source: The Airline Flight Demand Tracker, Lufthansa Innovation Hub
TRAVEL BUBBLES & INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
20 Jan: All foreign experts and airline crew will need to undergo a 14-day centralised quarantine ahead of Tet. Previously, they were entitled to home quarantine or at hotels >>
17 Jan: Russia is look at restarting commercial flights with Vietnam, between Moscow and Hanoi from 27 Jan. However, only flights with approval from the government are allowed to enter the country >>
14 Jan: Vietnamese citizens are being urged to only travel back to Vietnam if it is necessary >>
14 Jan: Japan has suspended its Business Track and Residence Track programs to allow overseas business travellers to visit the country, including from Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam >>
12 Jan: The PM has requested agencies to speed up the restoration of regular international flights after Tet >>
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10 Jan: Vietnam will limit repatriation flights bringing back Vietnamese citizens from now until after Tet in mid-Feb, to reduce COVID-19 risks >>
7 Jan: The PM has ordered suspending inbound flights carrying Vietnamese citizens from countries or territories which have reported the new COVID-19 variant, including the UK and South Africa >>
7 Jan: Hanoi has ordered its localities to tighten up supervision of arrivals from overseas, and ensure quarantines are safe, to avoid community transmission >>
6 Jan: Japan is likely to cut business lane travel arrangements with Vietnam, due to the state of emergency in Japan. Vietnamese arrivals have counted for one of the highest inbound traffic into Japan under the agreement >>
5 Jan: The Minister of Health has proposed that inbound flights be suspended or limited from countries which have detected the new variant of COVID-19 >>
4 Jan: The government has said that Vietnam is not considering restarting international commercial flights as the COVID-19 situation is intense, and vaccine distribution uncertain >>
4 Dec: Vietnam and the Republic of Korea have agreed to waive quarantine requirements for short-term visits between the 2 states for those travelling for investment, trade, or as highly skilled workers for less than 14 days. They will need to obtain negative tests for entry, and will be tested upon arrival and have to follow a pre-registered agenda, with frequent health checks. The agreement will start on 1 Jan 2021 >>
4 Dec: Repatriation flights will continue to operate into Vietnam, whilst commercial flights are on hold due to the quarantine breach >>
1 Dec: Laos and Vietnam resumed international commercial flights, with Vietnam Airlines operating the flights between Hanoi-Vientiane >>
31 Oct: The visa waiver program for those foreigners who entered from 1 March will be extended until 30 Nov >>
30 Oct: Japan will lift its entry ban on travellers from China, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, Brunei, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam from 1 Nov, but will continue to suspend its visa waiver agreements, meaning that tourists would still not be allowed to travel. Japan has also lowered its travel advisories from Level 2 (advises against all travel) to Level 3 (advises against nonessential travel) >>
29 Oct: Passengers arriving into Vietnam will now be divided into 3 groups, each with different quarantine requirements:
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1. Vietnamese citizens or family members of Vietnamese citizens – will undergo centralised quarantine for 14 days 2. Foreigners who are experts, investors, business managers, skilled workers and their family or international students and staying in Vietnam for more than 14 days – quarantined at registered hotels for 7 days, then if test negative on day 6, permitted to quarantine at their residential area for another 7 days 3. Foreign diplomats – quarantined at their houses or residential areas for 14 days. Foreign experts entering for less than 14 days – tested on first day of arrival, and once every 3 days after >>
21 Oct: An agreement between Vietnam and Japan for short-term travel (less than 14 days) between the 2 countries will be applicable from 1 Nov, with priority cases exempted from quarantine, provided that they are tested prior to departure, on arrival, provide their itinerary and only travel to work-related locations >>
7 Oct: Japan will lift its travel advisories for citizens to travel to Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan >>
2 Oct: Singapore has removed quarantine restrictions on travellers arriving from Vietnam, allowing them to make short-term visits. The Singapore Transport Minister has said that their counterparts in Vietnam are considering reciprocating the restrictions for Singaporeans arriving into their countries, but currently they would face quarantine on arrival >>
1 Oct: Foreigners who entered Vietnam from 1 Mar will have their temporary stay permits renewed automatically until 31 Oct >>
28 Sep: Foreigners who are entering HCMC for less than 14 days and are not quarantined are being tested for COVID-19 upon arrival, and then every 2 days after. They are only permitted out from their accommodation to attend meetings and field trips >>
22 Sep: The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has submitted its plans for airlines to bring international pax into the country. There will be 9 inbound flights a week landing at Hanoi and HCMC airports, split between Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air. International carriers allowed to return include Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, China Airline and EVA Air. Airlines must only process bookings for customers who have the details of their quarantine facility, and the host organisation who will receive them. On check-in, they will need to show a negative test result within 3 days of boarding, which must be certified by the local embassy. They must wear face masks, install the contact tracing app Bluezone, and fill out health forms. Entrants are still limited to foreign investors, business
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executives, experts, highly skilled workers, diplomats, international students – and their family – along with returning Vietnamese and their relatives >>
19 Sep: The Vietnamese PM has approved the recommendation to reopen commercial flights to Thailand >>
18 Sep: Foreigners and Vietnamese returning to Vietnam who want to stay in government quarantine facilities would need to pay a minimum of $5.16 USD per day >>
15 Sep: The government has permitted the Transport Ministry to restart commercial international flights to mainland China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan from September 15, followed by Laos, Cambodia from September 22. They have also extended the categories of foreigners allowed entry to include international students and family of Vietnamese citizens >>
11 Sep: Foreigners entering Vietnam on commercial flights will need to undergo centralised quarantine from 5-7 days, and then self-isolate for another 14 days should they test negative. The country expects to reopen commercial flights to Guangzhou, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan from 15 Sep, and Laos and Cambodia from 22 Sep. 20,000 passengers are expected to arrive on these flights each month, including Vietnamese citizens, foreign experts, and investors. Tourists will not be permitted yet. They will need to have a negative certificate prior to departure, and will be tested on arrival twice. Foreign passengers will need to pay for all quarantine and testing, as well as install the app Bluezone >>
3 Sep: The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has submitted plans for international flights to be reinstated to Guangzhou, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, Cambodia and Laos on 15 Sep. All pax would be quarantined on arrival (at their own cost), with around 5,000 expected to enter a week. Transit passengers would not be allowed into the country. Pax would also need to provide a negative test prior to departure, and be tested on arrival. The CAAV has also asked the Ministry of Health to publish a place of real-time PCR labs, as travellers may also need tests to be able to leave Vietnam >>
VACCINE
NEW 30 Jan: The PM has ordered the Ministry of Health to procure COVID-19 vaccines in Q1. Negotiations with Pfizer, Moderna and manufacturers in India, China and Russia are all under way. AstraZeneca has now been approved for use in Vietnam, and the manufacturer has said that it is aiming to send 30 million doses in 2021, with the first doses arriving in Q1 >>
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20 Jan: Vietnam’s 3rd home developed vaccine will start its clinical human trials at the end of Mar >>
15 Jan: Vietnam’s second shot of Nanocovax has provided a good immune response, and the 2nd phase of trials will begin mid-Feb with 560 volunteers >>
8 Jan: The first stage human trials of Vietnam’s 2nd vaccine candidate will start trial on 21 Jan >>
5 Jan: Vietnam may produce the Sputnik V vaccine under a technology transfer agreement >>
4 Jan: Vietnam has agreed to buy 30 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, and are also looking at Pfizer, Sputnik V and Chinese manufacturers. It would be eligible to obtain vaccines for 16% of its population via COVAX >>
17 Dec: Vietnam has started its human trials for its home-developed Nanocovax vaccine >>
6 Dec: Vietnam will start human trials of its locally produced vaccine on 10 Dec from Nanogen >>
11 Nov: Vietnamese Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology will be allowed to proceed with its clinic trials of Nanocovax on 17 Dec. The Ministry of Health plans to roll out a vaccination program in H2 2021 if the vaccine is successful. It is also in talks with the UK, USA, Russia and China to import vaccines >>
9 Nov: The Ministry of Health has said that a mass rollout of vaccines is at least 2 years away, in Q2 2022 >>
6 Nov: Vietnam plans to continue its containment strategy for COVID-19, rather than rush into procuring vaccines which could be financially risky. The deputy PM also said that they have to accept the pandemic will last until the end of 2021, and their homegrown vaccine would likely not be available until end 2021 >>
INBOUND
NEW 31 Jan: The latest outbreak in Vietnam has now spread to 8 localities, with 221 locally transmitted cases. The source of the local transmissions has not yet been identified, with first patients confirmed being an airport worker and a woman working in Chi Linh Town in Hai Duong >>
NEW 31 Jan: 2 million Hanoi students will start their Tet school holidays a week earlier due to the detection of 9 locally transmitted cases in the city >>
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NEW 31 Jan: PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc was re-elected at the 13th Communist Party Centre Committee after voting >>
NEW 31 Jan: Hoi An has temporarily closed its pedestrian zone because of the latest outbreak >>
NEW 30 Jan: Vietnam’s airlines have reached an on time performance of 95.4% from 19 Dec 2020 to 18 Jan 2021, an increase of 9.7% YoY >>
NEW 30 Jan: HCMC aims to focus on digitalisation and domestic tourism promotion. They aim to receive 33.5 million domestic visitors in 2021 if the pandemic is under control, and 8.6 million international visitors should the pandemic be under control globally and flight routes are opened at the start of 2021 >>
NEW 30 Jan: Quang Ninh province has put Van Don and Dong Treu district under social distancing, whilst Cai Rong, Binh Duong, Thuy Sinh, An Sinh and Nguyen Hue are under lockdown. Locals have been asked to stay at home and only go out when necessary, as well as avoid gatherings of more than 2 people outside the workplace and public areas >>
NEW 30 Jan: Hanoi has postponed many cultural activities to celebrate Tet due to the new outbreak >>
NEW 30 Jan: HCMC is considering building 7 more parks in various districts, as well as planting 6,000 trees on 2 hectares >>
NEW 30 Jan: All festivals and cultural activities with mass gatherings in COVID-19 hit areas should be cancelled, and scaled down in those provinces with no cases yet detected >>
NEW 29 Jan: Hanoi Redtours is ready to suspend tours to locations such as Halong Bay, and have said that this new outbreak will “surely put more roadblocks on our recovery journey”. Vietravel will relocate 101 tours to Quang Ninh to other destinations, as has Hanoitourist >>
NEW 29 Jan: A health official has said that Hanoi is likely to encounter a COVID-19 outbreak in the city’s residents as it is close to hotspots. Anyone entering Hanoi who has been to these hotspots should self-isolate for 14 days, as well as those who have visited Hai Duong and Quang Ninh provinces >>
NEW 29 Jan: All flights to and from Quang Ninh province’s Van Dong International Airport will be suspended from 28 Jan until further notice >>
NEW 29 Jan: Vietnam’s January international arrivals were 17,736, up 9% MoM, but down 99.1% YoY. There were 11,118 arrivals by air, 43 by sea and the remaining by road. Revenue from travel services was estimated to be $69.4 million USD >>
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NEW 29 Jan: Social distancing will be imposed in Lam Thao commune, Bac Ninh, after a local resident has been confirmed with the virus. All schools were also closed for 3 days from 29 Jan in the province, and restaurants and karaoke parlours will be closed from 29 Jan >>
NEW 29 Jan: Hanoi will test all people returning from Quang Ninh province and Hai Duong’s Chi Linh city. It expects to complete testing by 1 Feb >>
NEW 29 Jan: The PM has urged that the COVID-19 outbreak is stamped out before Tet >>
NEW 29 Jan: Halong Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago will be submitted to ask UNESCO to continue to consider them as World Heritage sites >>
NEW 29 Jan: Vietnam Airlines, in conjunction with Humane Society International, have launched a campaign against the consumption of rhino horn, with all passenger flights now playing a short film, When I Grow Up >>
NEW 29 Jan: Agoda has said that family travel is the dominant types of travellers for their customers so far in Vietnam in 2021 >>
NEW 29 Jan: The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) have asked all tourism companies to follow measures on COVID-19 prevention >>
NEW 28 Jan: Vietnam has confirmed its first locally transmitted outbreak for nearly 2 months on 28 Jan, with the first cases detected in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh. The Deputy PM believes that COVID-19 may have been in Chi Linh city already for 10 days >>
NEW 28 Jan: Hai Duong has locked down Chi Linh town for 21 days from 28 Jan, with no public activity allowed. Other localities in Hai Duong province will follow social distancing measures, including the suspension of large crowds >>
NEW 28 Jan: Quarantine periods will be increased to 21 days for community outbreaks, partially due to the presence of the UK variant being detected >>
NEW 28 Jan: Residents of Quang Ninh and Hai Duong province have been ordered not to travel to other localities >>
NEW 28 Jan: All passenger transport activities have been suspended to and from Quang Ninh province >>
NEW 28 Jan: All schools in Quang Ninh province have been ordered to close for at least a week >>
NEW 28 Jan: The Spring Festival 2021 will take place at Hanoi’s Vietnam Cultural Arts Exhibition Centre from 29 Jan – 7 Feb >>
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NEW 28 Jan: The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has urged airports to strictly follow COVID-19 prevention measures >>
NEW 27 Jan: Booking.com has rated Phong Nha, Hoi An and Ninh Binh as the 3 most welcoming cities in Vietnam >>
NEW 27 Jan: Vietnam is working on a project to attract overseas Vietnamese and foreigners to use Vietnam’s high-quality medical services from 2021-2030 >>
NEW 27 Jan: 4,300 trail runners will race in the Vietnam Trail Marathon on 30 Jan in Son La >>
NEW 26 Jan: The CAAV has warned airlines to stop overselling their flights for Tet >>
NEW 26 Jan: HCMC and 13 cities in the Mekong Delta will step up tourism cooperation over the next 5 years. 3 new inter-regional travel products and 50 stimulus travel tours with discounts have been launched >>
NEW 26 Jan: Ninh Binh is planning a diverse tourism and cultural program to celebrate it being the National Tourism Year 2021 hosts >>
NEW 25 Jan: Cultural activities will be held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism from 29 Jan to 1 Feb with the aim of helping the poor >>
NEW 25 Jan: 3-5* hotels is Sapa are already fully booked for Tet and room rates slowly increasing. Previously, they were only fully occupied over the year-end period. Da Lat is also seeing an increase in bookings, with occupancy of 3-5* hotels over 70% >>
23 Jan: Vietnam Airlines will serve Vietnamese traditional Tet foods on board from 4-14 Feb >>
22 Jan: Danang welcomed a group of 700 on a MICE tour, one of the largest to Danang so far in 2021. It also received 1,000 MICE delegates on 7-8 Jan >>
22 Jan: Lao Cai province is aiming to receive 5 million visitors in 2021 and earn 16 trillion VND. In 2020, visits to Sapa accounted for the majority of the 2.2 million visits to the province. Lao Cai is also targeting 130 new tourism products to encourage return visits >>
22 Jan: Vietravel is offering bundled tours plus airfares at its Tet Festival 2021, taking place from 21-24 Jan. Vietravel Airlines will also open its ticket sales, with vouchers worth 100,000 VND for the first 20,000 pax >>
22 Jan: HCMC is planning to partially pedestrianise a zone around Turtle Lake for Tet >>
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22 Jan: HCMC will focus on promoting domestic tourism and building smart tourism, standardising data collection and digitising travel services >>
21 Jan: Hanoi will concentrate on domestic tourism, with 3 growth scenarios targeted. The most optimistic scenario for early recovery, would allow Hanoi to welcome 15.34 million domestic tourists, double that of 2020. Average occupancy would exceed 45%. They have an overall goal of attracting between 13.16-19.4 million tourists in 2021, with 10.96-15.34 million of those domestic visitors. They will also develop culinary activities, nightlife and extreme sports, and are looking at promotional events to be scheduled in conjunction with the SEA Games in late 2021 >>
21 Jan: Hanoi will have another pedestrian street in Hai Ba Trung District to boost tourism >>
21 Jan: Phu Quoc Airport is now operating a silent airport policy >>
20 Jan: Hanoi has said that its tourism sector must quickly restructure, or it might fall behind other localities, as tourism will play a key part in the city’s recovery in 2021. Hanoi saw 1.11 million foreign arrivals and 7.54 million domestic visitors in 2020, down -84.2% and -65.6% YoY >>
20 Jan: Vietnam Airlines have said that their flights will surge by 30% YoY due to advanced booking trends for Tet. It will operate 2.4 million seats over the Tet holiday, whilst VietJet will sell 1.5 million seats >>
19 Jan: The CAAV has said that there will be more than 1,000 domestic flights/ day over the Tet period, up 28% YoY. It could reach up to 1,200 flights on peak days >>
19 Jan: Vietravel Airlines have opened their commercial flight ticket sales >>
18 Jan: HCMC is preparing its Tet celebrations, with major streets decorated with lights until 28 Feb, and a lighting show and fire crackers >>
18 Jan: The museums in Danang have welcomed 1,000-1,500 visitors per day during the first week of the year. The city’s museums will now be free in 2021 >>
18 Jan: VASCO will resume their flights between HCMC and Rach Gia from 18 Jan >>
18 Jan: HCMC have designated 6 more hotels to quarantine people and flight crew arriving from abroad >>
18 Jan: Visitors to Hue’s monuments fell to just over one million in 2020, down 72.62% YoY, with revenue of $4.6 million USD >>
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18 Jan: 4 new routes will be built to link Long Thanh International Airport with localities >>
18 Jan: Da Lat is aiming to welcome more than 4 million visitors in 2021, of which 150,000 are foreigners. 2020 saw it welcomed 4 million in 2019, down 44% YoY, with 120,000 foreigners. Over the 3-day New Year holiday this year, 70,000 tourists visited the city >>
18 Jan: Khanh Hoa is looking to introduce more stimulus measures and new tourism products in 2021. It has also launched a new competition for a logo and slogan for the tourism sector >>
18 Jan: Nha Trang will hold a food and tourism festival from 29-31 Jan, introducing the city’s tourist attractions and agricultural products. It is expected to welcome 50,000 visitors >>
17 Jan: Mot Thoang Vietnam in HCMC’s Cu Chi district has reopened >>
15 Jan: Enhanced aviation security will be in place at airports across Vietnam ahead of the 13th National Party Congress >>
15 Jan: Vietravel Airlines’ first charter flight took place on 7 Jan, from Hanoi to Phu Quoc >>
15 Jan: Danang is offering free tours of the city from now until end Apr. The city is focusing on tourists as well as MICE events >>
14 Jan: Vietjet is looking at buying new aircraft in 2021, after reporting a small profit for 2020. The airline will continue to invest in maintenance and training facilities >>
14 Jan: Tet Festival will take place in HCMC and hopes to welcome 70,000 visitors. It will focus on families with young children. Last year, it welcome 50,000 visitors >>
14 Jan: Vietjet raised $28 million USD from selling of bonds, which will help the airline’s 2021 development >>
14 Jan: Ha Giang province will stop tourists from reaching a cliff on Ma Pi Leng Pass after a tourist fell and was hospitalised >>
14 Jan: The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies has allocated $1.36 million USD to pay wages of those employees who had to stop working due to the pandemic. It has also extended payment dates and adjusted the loan terms for other customers impacted by the virus >>
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13 Jan: Some mountainous areas with snow in northern Vietnam are generating visits, with 3,000 visiting Bat Xat District in Lao Cai province from 9-11 Jan, reaching an occupancy level of 95% and earning $87,100 USD. Sapa welcomed 20,000 tourists with occupancy of 60% and $2.74 million USD generated >>
13 Jan: 500 representatives from the Vietnam Tourism Association, the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents and the tourism sector joined a National Travel Agents Forum 2021 in Hai Phong. The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sports and tourism said that the number of outbound tourists declined by 90% and total tourism income by nearly 60% vs 2019. Hanoitourist said that travel agents should focus on quality, sustainable travel and closer to home. Agents also discussed the risks of price cutting >>
13 Jan: Vietnam’s first Vacation Exchange Platform, VPASS, has been launched. Members can exchange vacations from thousands of luxury hotels and resorts, as well as book customised luxury needs >>
12 Jan: Bamboo Airways has launched 2 new routes, connecting Can Tho with the Con Dao Islands and Phu Quoc >>
12 Jan: Hanoi’s Old Quarter will hold multiple cultural activities throughout Tet >>
12 Jan: Airlines have warned passengers they should arrive at the airport 3-4 hours early over the Tet period to avoid crowding >>
12 Jan: Hanoi is allocating $41 million USD for SMEs as part of a program which will run from 2021-25. It is targeting 150,000 newly established companies and adding 1.5 million more jobs >>
11 Jan: The newly renovated runways at HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat and Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airports have now reopened >>
11 Jan: The longest road tunnel in SE Asia at 6.2km has opened, linking Danang with Thua-Thien-Hue province >>
11 Jan: Marriott International will partner with Masterise Homes to manage a dual- branded residential and office project in HCMC, ready in 2024 >>
10 Jan: Parts of the Ho Dynasty Citadel, a World Cultural Heritage site, have been damaged due to storms >>
9 Jan: The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) will use flexible measures to stimulate domestic tourism, basing it on the “Vietnamese going on tours in Vietnam” and the “Vietnam, safe and attractive tourism” campaigns. Regional cooperation should also be a focus >>
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9 Jan: Vietnam’s Yoko Onsen, a Japanese-style onsen in Quang Ninh province, has started to gain interest from locals after a TV broadcast on its popularity >>
8 Jan: The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been urged to speed up the digitisation of the sector and provide a better visitor experience. It hopes to serve 80 million domestic tourists in 2021, with $14.57 billion USD in revenue >>
8 Jan: The Con Dao islands have been listed in The New York Times’ “52 places to love in 2021” list >>
8 Jan: HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat Airport runway will be inaugurated on 10 Jan after upgrading works for 6 months >>
8 Jan: New World Hotels & Resorts will manage the New World Nha Trang Hotel, expected to open in 2023 >>
7 Jan: Doing things that matter or make a difference is what Vietnamese are most looking forward to for travel in 2021, according to a new survey from Agoda. They are also more likely to commit to travelling sustainably >>
7 Jan: Hanoi’s Department of Culture and Sports has said that unnecessary festivals may be cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic – they will establish a group to inspect festivals accordingly >>
7 Jan: A new tourism campaign, Discover Vietnam, to promote domestic tourism, was launched on YouTube in Jan by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), VinPearl and Google. They will feature clips from YouTube creators who will be a virtual tour guide and promote their experience of Vietnam >>
7 Jan: The PM has recognised 7 new monuments as special national sites, as well as 24 artifacts as national treasures >>
7 Jan: VietJet have been recognised as one of the world’s top 10 low-cost airlines for airline safety and product rating by AirlineRatings >>
7 Jan: Son La is developing its agrotourism products as part of their strategy to change its agricultural sector to develop the economy >>
7 Jan: A rural market was organised at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Hanoi, highlighting the cultural diversity of Vietnam >>
6 Jan: HSBC sees Vietnam’s GDP growing in 2021 at 7.8%, down from its previous forecast of 8.1%, but it would remain a “shining star” in 2021 >>
6 Jan: The Deputy PM has asked the National Council for Cultural Heritage to focus on the preservation and promotion of relics >>
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6 Jan: Passengers on Vietnam Airlines will need to complete a compulsory health declaration form within 24 hours of domestic departures >>
6 Jan: Students in Hanoi will have 9 days off over Tet, from 8-16 Feb, 2 additional days compared to the standard period approved by the PM >>
6 Jan: Phu Quoc is estimated to have received more than 3 million arrivals in 2020, with numbers increasing by around 50% in Nov and Dec 2020 >>
5 Jan: Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai (40km east of HCMC) started construction on 5 Jan, and is expected to eventually become the country’s largest airport >>
5 Jan: Quang Nam will establish the Song Thanh National Park, to conserve the biodiversity of the province >>
5 Jan: Sapa authorities are reminding tourists not to buy goods from local children out of concerns for child labour >>
5 Jan: Sapa’s airport project will start to be assessed by the government >>
5 Jan: Quang Ninh saw 140,000 tourists over 1-2 Jan, with 110,000 staying overnight. The province is implementing a tourism stimulus package worth $21.4 million USD in 2021, with free tickets to Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Museum and Yen Tu on 1 Jan, and 50% discount on other days. Its target is 10 million tourists for 2021, and 20 trillion VND >>
5 Jan: An exhibition in Phuoc Long town will showcase the potential of Binh Phuoc province and Phuoc Long town for tourism >>
5 Jan: HCMC is developing plans for riverside tourism activities along the Saigon River from 2020-2045. The area would be developed into a public area, with infrastructure such as river embankments, wharves, pedestrian routes, rental bicycles, and a metro transit station >>
4 Jan: A reef along Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan province has been destroyed by a private tourism project, with an inspection by the authorities now underway >>
4 Jan: Hanoi welcomed 120,000 visitors from 1-3 Jan, earning $13 million USD. 114,000 of these were domestic visitors. This number is down 89% YoY >>
4 Jan: An extended HCMC-Mekong Delta expressway will shorten the journey to just 2 hours. The extended works began on 4 Jan >>
4 Jan: HCMC will target 33 million tourists in 2021, generating revenue of $4.33 billion USD. 2020’s revenue was estimated at $3.66 billion USD, down 39.6% YoY
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and 1.3 million international visitors (-84.8% YoY) and 15.8 million domestic visitors (-48.4% YoY) >>
4 Jan: Sapa received 65,000 arrivals over the New Year Holiday, 95% of last year’s figure, with some local hotels seeing 100% occupancy rates. It is targeting 3 million visitors in 2021 >>
4 Jan: Ninh Binh province will aim for 7 million visitors in 2021, as it is hosting the National Tourism Year. It is undertaking improvements such as adding trilingual options to its tourism portal, assessing service development projects and online promotional activities. Over the 3-day New Year holiday, it received 32,000 visitors. In 2020 in total, it had 2.8 million visitors, just 37% of 2019’s number >>
4 Jan: Vietravel Airlines started selling tickets on 1 Jan, and plans to operate flights mid-Jan >>
18 Nov: The HCMC authorities will pay out unemployment benefits of $1.16 million USD to 27,000 workers in “non-essential” sectors, including museums and historical relics >>
4 Nov: A second economic stimulus package from the government will focus on the hardest hit industries, including aviation, tourism and consumption. It would potentially remove difficulties for aviation companies, with the government providing guarantees for loans, estimated at around $474 million USD. It has also proposed a 70% reduction on environmental protection tax on jet fuel in 2021. Tourism companies would also see an 80% reduction in deposits for 2 years, allowing them to have more working capital. There would also be a 5 month extension in tax and land fee payments. VAT may also be reduced on consumer goods >>
2 Oct: A 30% corporate income tax cut for selected businesses for the 2020 financial year has been approved >>
2 Oct: HCMC has launched a 2nd stimulus worth $517 million USD for SMEs. It includes preferential loans to allow workers to retain workers and maintain production. Around 100,000-120,000 tourism workers have lost their jobs, with 4,400 tourism businesses affected >>
15 Jun: The Tourism Minister has encouraged Vietnamese people to travel within the country after 60 days of no community transmission. Four phases of Vietnam’s reopening will be:
1. Domestic tourism available and encouraged – current position 2. Cautious “tourism exchanges” with safe countries 3. Expanding the list of regional tourists who can visit Vietnam 4. International arrivals returning to the “pre-COVID-19 normal” >>
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30 May: New economic measures have been taken by the government, including:
• Reduction of 15% on rental fees for state-owned land and properties for businesses forced to stop operation by COVID-19 • Waiving fees for local airlines, reducing landing and take-off charges and air navigation services fees by 50% for domestic flights from Mar-Sep. • Airlines are also allowed to offer zero air fares for certain services • Mobile money scheme will also be allowed to pilot for low value transactions • MSMEs could also benefit from a proposed 30% cut in corporate tax this year >>
14 May: License fees for international and domestic tourism firms has been reduced by 50% from 6 May until 2020 year end. Fees for a tour guide card have also been reduced from $14 USD to $4 USD >>
29 Apr: The Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board has asked for a government guaranteed credit package of $6.4 billion to help tourism businesses with loans, valued at around 25% of total tourism revenue in 2019, provided they meet certain conditions >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/vietnam/
OUTBOUND
14 Jan: More than 338 outbound travel agents in Vietnam have applied to revoke their business licences. The number of newly established travel companies in 2020 also decreased by more than 30% from 2019, to 201. The deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism has said that outbound travel agents have to restructure to survive, and advised them to focus on the domestic market >>
8 Jan: Vietnam Airlines expects its domestic pax traffic to grow in 2021 vs 2020, approaching a recovery threshold. An optimistic scenario would see its operations returning to the same scale as 2019 by 2022, whilst a conservative scenario would be by 2023 >>
View older updates from February onwards on our dashboard at: https://www.pearanderson.com/coronavirus/vietnam/
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ABOUT PEAR ANDERSON
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For more information on how we can help you to understand the Southeast Asian tourism market, contact us at: [email protected] http://www.pearanderson.com
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