Visit AsiaSingapore and Thailand are among the countries most in need of reopening their borders. For completely different reasons. Singapore is the commercial and financial hub of Southeast Asia. The country therefore needs to re-anchor itself to international movements.
The Thai economy is heavily dependent on tourism, including the MICE sector.. Statistics show that 20% of the kingdom's GDP is generated by tourism, an absolute record in Asia.
Singapore for business travellers only
A Singaporethe Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged in a recent speech that the city-state had no choice but to ease restrictions. "Trade and travel are our lifeblood", he said. "The longer our borders remain closed to travellers, the more we will be able to compete. we risk losing our status as an international hub for good, which will be detrimental to our very existence".
The city has therefore decided to reopen its borders from mid-January under the Connect@Singapore programme.. While travellers will be able to come from all countries, the residence permit will only apply to visiting businessmen and officials.
A limit will also be set for the number of foreign travellers. They will not be allowed to stay for more than 14 daysaccording to a press release from the Ministry of Trade.
However, travelling to Singapore is no picnic. The government imposes very strict conditions on residence.
The travellers will have to undergo screening tests to covid before leaving their country of origin. But also as soon as they arrive in Singapore and regularly during their stay.
They will only be able to reside and hold meetings in the following countries in locations determined by the government. It is impossible to leave them. Ban will also be made up of contact other people apart from other members of the same travel group. All travellers will also have to download the health tracking application for the State Island.
A meeting with their local contacts will take place in the following locations specially designed meeting rooms. They will be fitted with watertight glass panels to reduce the risk of transmission.
A number of companies have already announced their active participation in Connect@Singapore. These include Temasek through The Ascott Limited, Changi AirportGroup, Sheares Healthcare Group, SingEx and Surbana Jurong. L'Changi airport should prove to be a testing ground for this new protocol for travellers.
Thailand once again open to Europeans
For its part, the Thailand is beginning to loosen its grip on visitor numbers. It has taken several measures to encourage foreign travellers.
Last week, the government announced that it would allow citizens from 56 countries (including Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland) to come into the kingdom without prior visa.
Travellers must present a certificate stating that they are covid-negative seventy-two hours before departure. L'obligation to reside in a quarantine hotel will continue, according to Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesperson for the covid-19 working group in Thailand.
Hotels must be booked through the Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) programme.. ASQ establishments have been approved by the Thai Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Defence. The price of the stay varies from 26,500 Baht (around 735 euros) to 600,000 Baht (around 16,700 euros) depending on the standard of the establishment.
La quarantine remains fixed at 14 days. At the same time, the authorities have extended the visa valid for 30 to 45 days. During quarantine, new arrivals will undergo three covid-19 tests, compared with two previously.
More tests could potentially lead to shorter quarantine times in the near future. Visit Thai government has been working for some time on a quarantine reduced to 10 days..
