Tourism industry in Australia is gradually recovering, after closing its border to leisure travelers for over two years, Japan announced that it would reopen to tourists but only allowing in the format of package tours starting from June 10.

Australia

Fully opening its border in February, the hotel and tourism industry in Australia is gradually recovering. The latest figure released by the Bureau of Statistics suggests that the number of overseas arrivals increased to 0.58 million in April, around one third of the comparable figure before the pandemic; the top three source markets of short-term visitors are the UK, New Zealand, and India.

Regional governments across Australia are boosting local tourism through various initiatives. The State Government is planning an AUD 45 million investment to boost tourism in South Australia (SA), including supporting the tourism recovery and investing in a new marketing campaign for tourism in SA. The tourism business is recovering well from losses due to the pandemic as the average hotel occupancy hit 79% in April, the best month since the pandemic.

Japan

After closing its border to leisure travelers for over two years, Japan announced that it would reopen to tourists from 98 countries and regions but only allowing in the format of package tours starting from June 10. The relaxed restrictions were announced after the success of a trial of smaller group tours with visitors from the US, Australia, Thailand, and Singapore in May.

Triple-vaccinated travelers from certain countries would be exempt from the 3-day quarantine with a negative test result upon arrival. Japan would also increase the airports welcoming international flights to seven at the same time, and new destinations include Naha in Okinawa and New Chitose in Hokkaido.

Despite the closing of borders since 2020, Japan still ranks first in the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2021 by the World Economic Forum. The newly established frameworks were adapted from the previous Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, but with a greater focus on the sustainable and resilient development of travel and tourism in one country, and Japan has leading scores thanks to its robust infrastructure and hotels catering to international travelers.

Laos

Laos, the landlocked nation in Southeast Asia, has finally opened its border to international visitors in early May and electronic visa applications are also available for eligible travelers. The relaxed rules of entry would allow travelers to travel around the country across the nation without limitations on destinations or hotels. Prior to fully reopening, travelers were only allowed in designated “tourism green zones”, including the capital Vientiane and the northern city, Luang Prabang, which reached over 99% of the vaccination rate.

The reopening of Laos is relatively slow as China, one of their biggest inbound tourism markets, remains tight border controls. However, tour operators from Thailand have returned to evaluate the possibilities of packaged tours to Laos. At the same time, the government is working on developing new travel experiences and destinations across the country. For example, Xing Xou Island, an island community in the middle of the Mekong, is announced for tourism development as the latest cultural heritage in the country.
Reopening status in Asia Pacific

After the announcement of reopening from Japan and Laos, there are only four countries and regions holding strict border control, including China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan.

Source: AP Research

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