COVID - 19 Related Travel Restrictions – A Global Review for Tourism

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

COVID - 19COVID - 19

RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONSRELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISMA GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

second report as of 28 April 2020second report as of 28 April 2020

Prepared by

UNWTO UNWTO

Sustainable Development of Tourism Department

COVID - 19COVID - 19

RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONSRELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISMA GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

second report as of 28 April 2020second report as of 28 April 2020

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments

This second

report COVID-19 Related Travel Restrictions – A Global Review for Tourism

was developed by the

World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Sustainable Development of Tourism Department. The report was

prepared under the supervision of Dr. Dirk Glaesser with lead contributions from Lorna Hartantyo, Marianna

Stori and Cordula Wohlmuther. Virginia Fernández-Trapa reviewed and provided feedback to the report.

Comments on the previous version of this report were provided by Sandra Carvao, Orianne Derrier, Hernán

Epstein, Harry Hwang, Beka Jakeli and Merjen Meretgulyyeva. Layout of the cover was provided by Alberto

G. Uceda and layout of the report by Javier P. Spuch.

We wish to thank Mrs Fiona Barron and Mr Rodolfo Losada from the World Food Programme for the

clarifications and support provided.

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

Table of ContentsTable of Contents

1. Key Facts .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................3

3. Overview on Global Travel Restrictions as of 20 April 2020 ..........................................................................................4

3.1 Volume and severity of travel restrictions under COVID-19 crisis .............................................................................. 4

3.2 Evolution of travel restrictions over time ..............................................................................................................................4

3.3 Categories of travel restrictions affecting tourists and travellers ..............................................................................6

3.4 Regional Breakdowns .......................................................................................................................................................................8

3.5 Lifting of travel restrictions ...........................................................................................................................................................8

Annex 1 Overview on the different categories and applying destinations as of 20 April 2020 ......................... 9

Annex 2 Overview on COVID-19 and pandemic measures, including travel restrictions .......................................11

Table of FiguresTable of Figures

Figure 1 - Travel restrictions as of 20 April 2020 ........................................................................................................................4

Figure 2 - Number of confirmed cases and destinations with COVID-19-related travel restrictions ..............5

Figure 3 - Destinations with travel restrictions as of 20 April 2020 ................................................................................. 5

Figure 4 - Changes in type of travel restriction over time ....................................................................................................6

Figure 5 - Category of travel restrictions by destination with COVID-19 travel restrictions ................................7

Figure 6 - Regional breakdown of travel restrictions as of 20 April 2020 ..................................................................... 8

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

• As of today, 100% of destinationsAs of today, 100% of destinations worldwide

have COVID-19 related travel restrictions in

place. Never before in history has international

travel been restricted in such an extreme

manner.

• 180 destinations, i.e. 83% of all destinations

worldwide, have COVID-19 related travel

restrictions now in place for

more than four more than four

weeksweeks.

• Out of these, 107 destinations, i.e. 49% of all

destinations worldwide, have closed their

borders or suspended flights for more than 4

weeks.

• Currently,

four main categories four main categories of travel

restrictions are in use, with three of them

consisting of total or partial bans to the entry

of travellers.

•

Out of 217 destinations worldwideOut of 217 destinations worldwide,

o 97 destinations (45%) have totally or

partially closed their borders for tourists -

“Passengers are not allowed to enter”.

o 65 destinations (30%) have suspended

totally or partially international flights -

“All flights are suspended”.

o 39 destinations (18%) are implementing the

closing of borders in a more differentiated

manner by banning the entry for passengers

from specific countries of origin -

“Passengers who have transited or been in

x are not allowed to enter”.

o The remaining 16 destinations (7%) are

applying different measures, such as

quarantine or self-isolation for 14 days or

visa measures.

•

As of 20 April 2020, no destination has lifted a As of 20 April 2020, no destination has lifted a

travel restriction.travel restriction.

1. Key Facts1. Key Facts

Source: Data compiled by UNWTO as of 20 April 2020

1 The maps elaborated by UNWTO are for reference only and do not imply any judgement on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of

such boundaries.

Figure A – Type of travel restriction by destination with COVID-19 travel restrictions

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

This is the second issue of a series of reports on

COVID-19 Related Travel Restrictions – A Global

Review for Tourism, aimed at providing an overview

and analysis on the implementation of travel

restrictions by governments as one of the means

to address the global health crisis of COVID-19.

For the first time, UNWTO is reporting a historical

and unprecedented situation with 100% of

all destinations worldwide having introduced

COVID-19 related travel measures limiting or

interrupting entirely the access to their territories

for tourists.

The

UNWTO reports on COVID-19 Related Travel

Restrictions

are updated on a regular basis to

support mitigation and recovery efforts of the

tourism sector, providing a global overview of

the measures in place and analysing them from a

tourism perspective. With a view to supporting

the responsible and successful implementation

of exit strategies through which countries are

planning the gradual return to normality, the

report also aims at identifying critical issues and

best practices of COVID-19 related travel measures

and their implications on tourism.

The report is based on desk research carried out

from the end of January 2020 until 20 April 2020

and contains the results of monitoring all travel

restrictions that have been implemented during

this period. For this purpose, official websites

that provide such information, in particular the

International Air Transport Association (IATA)

Travel Centre

and the World Health Organization

(WHO) Extranet, as well as the International SOS

travel restrictions data contributing to the online

platform of the World Food Programme (WFP) on

global travel restrictions

, are reviewed on a regular

basis.

In addition, UNWTO contacted authorities

directly, when needed, to clarify the measures in

place.

The research includes the analysis of different

categories of travel restrictions, as well as their

respective evolution into more differentiated

and elaborated measures, and the timing of

their implementation and/or future lifting. The

monitoring of travel restrictions is carried out

from the standpoint of travel facilitation for

tourism purposes (i.e. focusing on temporary

visitors/tourists) and does not take into account

measures that are directed to residents, diplomats

and other categories of travellers. In addition, this

report does not consider travel advisories issued

by governments for their respective citizens/

residents.

This work is carried out by the World Tourism

Organization (UNWTO) Sustainable Development

of Tourism Department (SDT) that,

inter alia

monitors visa policies around the world since 2008

and produces the Visa Openness Reports, which

focus on entry requirements for tourism purposes.

2. Introduction2. Introduction

2 IATA Travel Centre, available online at: www.iatatravelcentre.com/.

3 International SOS is a medical and travel security services company, for more info on Travel restrictions, flight operations and screening see: https://pandemic.

internationalsos.com/2019-ncov/ncov-travel-restrictions-flight-operations-and-screening.

4 World Tourism Organization, Travel Facilitation reports, available online at: www.unwto.org/sustainable-development/travel-facilitation.

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

3.1 Volume and severity of travel 3.1 Volume and severity of travel

restrictionsrestrictions

UNWTO has been monitoring travel restrictions

and facilitation measures for several years. The

regularly published UNWTO Visa Openness

reports

have shown a continuously growing

trend for more than a decade on the number of

destinations facilitating visa policies for temporary

visitors (tourists). When reporting last in 2018, the

world openness reached its highest level ever, with

an openness of 37 index points.

The current COVID-19 crisis has impacted on travel

like no other event before. For the first time in

history, all destinations worldwide have imposed

travel restrictions, including the full closure of

borders for travellers in many destinations (Figure 1).

3.2 Evolution of travel restrictions over 3.2 Evolution of travel restrictions over

timetime

When on 30 January 2020 the World Health

Organization declared COVID-19 a Public Health

Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), 11

destinations had already implemented travel

restrictions directed at travellers coming from China

and prohibiting their entry into the destination. Six

days later, on 5 February 2020, this number had

grown four times and reached 40 destinations.

Within another 5 days, on 10 February 2020, the

number of destinations with travel restrictions had

grown to 56. By then, 24 destinations worldwide

had reported confirmed cases of COVID-19.

With the spread of COVID-19 cases in an increasing

number of countries, the number of travel

restrictions has also grown (Figure 2).

3. Overview on Global Travel 3. Overview on Global Travel

Restrictions as of 20 April 2020Restrictions as of 20 April 2020

Source: Data compiled by UNWTO as of 20 April 2020.

5 World Tourism Organization, Travel Facilitation reports, available online at: www.unwto.org/sustainable-development/travel-facilitation.

6 The Openness Index ranges from 0 – 100 and is calculated by summing the percentage of the world population affected by no visa weighted by 1, visa on arrival

weighted by 0.7, eVisa by 0.5 and traditional visa weighted by 0.

Figure 1 - Travel restrictions as of 20 April 2020

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

On 11 March 2020, when WHO declared COVID-19

a pandemic, a total of 85 destinations had travel

restrictions already in place. The declaration of

the pandemic triggered a new wave of travel

restrictions, which included the beginning of the

implementation of such measures also in European

countries. As a result, between 9 and 16 March 2020,

an additional 38 destinations introduced travel

restrictions, out of which 20 were from Europe,

bringing the total to 119 destinations worldwide.

By 24 March 2020, the number of destinations

with restrictions more than doubled, from 85 to

181 destinations, an increase of 112%.

From 24 March to 20 April 2020, all remaining

destinations introduced travel restrictions bringing

the total to 217 destinations, representing 100% of

destinations worldwide (Figure 3).

As of today, 180 destinations, i.e. 83% of all

destinations worldwide have COVID-19 related

travel restrictions now in place for more than four

weeks. Out of these, 107 destinations, i.e. 49% of

all destinations globally have closed their borders

or suspended flights.

Figure 2 - Number of conﬁrmed cases and destinations with COVID-19-related travel restrictions

Figure 3 - Destinations with travel restrictions as of 20 April 2020

Source: Data compiled by UNWTO as of 20 April 2020, based on desk research from IATA Travel Centre, WHO Extranet and International SOS.

Source: Data compiled by UNWTO as of 20 April 2020.

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

3.3 Categories of travel restrictions 3.3 Categories of travel restrictions

affecting tourists and travellersaffecting tourists and travellers

At the beginning of the crisis two main categories

of travel restrictions were observed, one directed

at passengers coming from a country that had

confirmed COVID-19 cases and the other one

being the invalidation or suspension of visa.

Over time additional measures were observed,

such as the request for medical certificates upon

arrival at a destination or the request for self-

isolation or quarantine.

Once WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, two

new, more extreme categories of travel restrictions

started to be applied, namely the complete and

partial closure of borders and suspension of flights

by governments. These two categories are, at the

current date, used by the majority of destinations

(75%) (Figure 4).

The four broad categories of travel restrictions

under implementation in 217 destinations as of 20

April 2020 are as follows:

o 97 destinations (45%) have totally or partially

closed their borders for tourists - “Passengers

are not allowed to enter”.

Figure 4 - Changes in type of travel restriction over time

Source: Data compiled by UNWTO as of 20 April 2020.

Note: Different measures include:

Visa: includes the invalidation of visa, destinations are no longer visa-exempt or visa cannot be obtained upon arrival any longer

Regional: travel restriction directed at a region (sub-national) within a country, and not the whole country as such

Quarantine: quarantine or self-isolation requirement

Nationality: directed at a nationality

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

o 65 countries (30%) have suspended totally or

partially international flights - “all flights are

suspended”.

o 39 destinations (18%) are implementing the

closing of borders in a more differentiated

manner by banning the entry for passengers

from specific countries of origin - “Passengers

who have transited or been in x are not allowed

to enter”.

o The remaining 16 destinations (7%) are applying

different measures, such as quarantine or self-

isolation for 14 days or visa measures.

Figure 5 - Category of travel restrictions by destination with COVID-19 travel restrictions

Source: Data compiled by UNWTO as of 20 April 2020.

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

3.4 Regional analysis of travel restrictions 3.4 Regional analysis of travel restrictions

In the regions of the Middle East (54%) and Africa

(45%) the measure of suspending flights prevails

over other types of measures, while in the Americas

(51%), Europe (48%) and Asia and the Pacific (46%),

it is the closure of borders (total or partial) which

is more dominant.

With regard to measures focusing on differentiated

travel restrictions aimed at specific countries, it is

in Europe where more of these measures are under

implementation (28%) followed by Asia and the

Pacific (24%) (Figure 6).

3.5 Lifting of travel restrictions 3.5 Lifting of travel restrictions

As of 20 April 2020, no destination has lifted a

travel restriction introduced in the context of

COVID-19.

Figure 6 - Regional breakdown of travel restrictions as of 20 April 2020

Source: Data compiled by UNWTO as of 20 April 2020.

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

Overview on the different Overview on the different

categories and applying categories and applying

destinations as of 20 April 20207destinations as of 20 April 20207

Total or partial closing of borders - Total or partial closing of borders -

“Passengers are not allowed to enter x”“Passengers are not allowed to enter x”

Applied by 97 destinations (45% of all destinations Applied by 97 destinations (45% of all destinations

worldwide).worldwide).

Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba,

Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bolivia,

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam,

Burkina Faso, Canada, Central African Republic,

Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Cook

Islands, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Curaçao,

Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador,

Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Fiji,

France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Georgia,

Germany, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea Bissau,

Honduras, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Israel, Italy,

Kazakhstan, Korea DPR, Latvia, Lesotho, Libya,

Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malaysia, Marshall Islands,

Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States

of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro,

Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, New Caledonia,

New Zealand, Niger, North Macedonia, Oman,

Panama, Poland, Qatar, Reunion, Russian Federation,

Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles,

Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, St. Maarten,

Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan Province of China,

Togo, Tuvalu, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.

Suspension of Flights- partially or totally - Suspension of Flights- partially or totally -

“All flights are suspended”“All flights are suspended”

Applied by 65 destinations (30% of all destinations Applied by 65 destinations (30% of all destinations

worldwide).worldwide).

Afghanistan, Albania, Anguilla, Barbados, Burundi,

Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Cayman islands, Comoros

Islands, Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt,

El Salvador, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea (Rep.),

Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kenia,

Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia,

Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritania,

Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan,

Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Sao Tomé and Principe,

Senegal, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri

Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Sudan, Thailand,

Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turks

and Caicos Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab

Emirates, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Virgin Islands

British, Yemen.

Destination-specific travel restrictions aimed Destination-specific travel restrictions aimed

at passengers from specific countries - at passengers from specific countries -

“Passengers who have transited or been in x “Passengers who have transited or been in x

are not allowed to enter x”are not allowed to enter x”

Applied by 39 destinations (18% of all destinations Applied by 39 destinations (18% of all destinations

worldwide).worldwide).

Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Bahrain,

Belgium, Belize, Bonaire, Botswana, Bulgaria,

Cambodia, Croatia, Finland, Gabon, Greece, Iceland,

Japan, Luxembourg, Maldives, Monaco, Nauru,

Netherlands, Niue, Norway, Palau, Papua New

Guinea, Philippines, Romania, Saba, Samoa, Somalia,

Spain, St. Eustatius, St. Vincent and Grenadines,

Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Timor Leste, Tonga,

Turkey, United States of America.

Annex 1Annex 1

7 Some destinations apply more than one measure, in this case the measure affecting tourists most is used for the purpose of this analysis.

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

Quarantine or self-isolation related measures Quarantine or self-isolation related measures

Applied by 10 destinations (5% of all destinations Applied by 10 destinations (5% of all destinations

worldwide).worldwide).

Belarus, Benin, Ethiopia, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Sierra

Leone, Tajikistan, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Zambia.

Visa measures - Visa are invalidated or Visa measures - Visa are invalidated or

no longer visa exempt or visa cannot be no longer visa exempt or visa cannot be

obtained any longer upon arrival obtained any longer upon arrival

Applied by 5 destinations (2% of all destinations Applied by 5 destinations (2% of all destinations

worldwide). worldwide).

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Myanmar, Republic of

Korea.

Regional (sub-national) specific travel Regional (sub-national) specific travel

restriction within a country - “Passengers who restriction within a country - “Passengers who

reside or visitors who have been in region x reside or visitors who have been in region x

of a destination x in the past 14 days are not of a destination x in the past 14 days are not

allowed to enter destination x”allowed to enter destination x”

Applied by 1 destination.Applied by 1 destination.

Macao SAR.

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM

Overview on COVID-19 and pandemic Overview on COVID-19 and pandemic

measures, including travel restrictionsmeasures, including travel restrictions

On 31 December 2019, a pneumonia of unknown

cause was detected first in Wuhan, China and

reported to the local WHO office. Four weeks

later, on 30 January 2020 the WHO declared the

outbreak of this virus, initially named 2019-nCoV, a

Public Health Emergency of International Concern

(PHEIC). At that stage WHO referred to 83 cases in

18 countries

and did not recommend any travel or

trade restriction. In a joint statement by UNWTO and

WHO released on 26 February 2020, it was indicated

that “Tourism’s response needs to be measured

and consistent, proportionate to the public health

threat and based on local risk assessment, involving

every part of the tourism value chain”.

While from end of December 2019 until end of

February 2020 China reported the largest amount

of COVID-19 cases, by February 2020 the virus had

already spread almost all over the globe. When

WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March

2020, 114 countries had reported 118,000 cases with

Europe becoming the worst-affected region. As of

20 April 2020, there are worldwide reported 2 314

621 COVID-19 cases with 157 847 deaths.

Based on the WHO Pandemic Influenza Preparedness

and Response guidance document for governments

a variety of measures have been implemented

worldwide in order to reduce the spread of the

virus. These include individual measures, such as the

promotion of hand and respiratory hygiene, as well

as societal level measures, such as protocols related

to social distancing which include the suspension

Annex 2Annex 2

of school classes, adjusting work patterns, the

reduction of unnecessary travel and overcrowding of

mass transport systems as well as the development

of frameworks for cancellation/restriction of mass

gatherings.

Moreover, with regards to international

travel, measures to “develop capacities for emergency

public health actions at designated points of entry

in accordance with International Health Regulations

(IHR) (2005) Annex 1 B.2.”, which include relevant

control mechanisms for arriving and departing

travellers, have been implemented.

Furthermore, additional provisions of the IHR

have guided the introduction of measures. For

instance, under Chapter III on special provisions

for travellers, the treatment of suspected travellers

when entering a destination is outlined, ranging

from medical examination to providing the person

with food and water.

Also under IHR Article 43, it

is stated that additional health measures shall be

based on scientific principles, available scientific

evidence and available specific guidance of WHO.

In this context, the implementation of additional

health measures that significantly interfere with

international traffic, shall be reported to WHO

within 48 hours, including the public health rationale

and relevant scientific information. Significant

interference means “refusal of entry or departure of

international travellers, baggage, cargo, containers,

conveyances, good, and the like, or their delay, for

more than 24 hours”. The IHR stipulates that WHO

shall share this information with other governments

and request that the measure is reviewed within

three months. Furthermore, WHO may request a

government that implemented such measure to

reconsider its application.

8 World Health Organization (2020),

Statement on the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak

of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV),

30 January 2020, available online at: www.who.int/news-room/detail/30-01-2020-statement-on-the-second-meeting-of-the-

international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov).

9 World Tourism Organization, World Health Organization (2020),

Joint statement on tourism and covid-19: UNWTO and WHO call for responsibility and coordination,

26 February 2020, available online at: https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2020-03/31012020%20Coronavirus_Feb_2020%20EN_3.pdf.

10 World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Situation report 91, available online at: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/

situation-reports/20200420-sitrep-91-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=fcf0670b_4.

11 International Health Regulations (2005), Third Edition, WHO, pp. 40-42, available online at: www.who.int/ihr/publications/9789241580496/en.

12 International Health Regulations (2005).

13 International Health Regulations (2005).

14 International Health Regulations (2005), pp. 23-24.

15 International Health Regulations (2005), pp. 29.

COVID-19 RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS – A GLOBAL REVIEW FOR TOURISM