How countries around the world are opening up to tourists after the pandemic

Many countries of the world are gradually opening up to air and sea traffic. Celebrity Millennium – The first major cruise ship departed last weekend from St. Maarten. The first port of call was Barbados, which now receives vaccinated travelers.

However, not everything went smoothly. Two guests had to be isolated after testing positive for COVID-19 during mandatory testing. And in the Mediterranean this week, two passengers on the MSC Seaside cruise ship also tested positive for coronavirus, CNN notes. Royal Caribbean International has announced that six of its ships will depart from major US ports in Florida and Texas starting in July, and a future cruise dedicated to the 1990s series Friends will debut next year. It will depart Florida in May 2022 with a select 500 guests aboard the 2,800-passenger liner. However, the most popular adventure comedy series and cruise continues to be Golden Fan in the Sea, which is also due to return next year. Luxury cruise company European Waterways plans to resume sea travel this June. It serves nine countries including France, Germany, Holland and Italy. At the same time, the Uniworld Boutique River Cruises companywill update work on June 20 with a range of routes in Italy, Portugal and France.

In the EU, meanwhile, has defined a “white” list of countries from which non-essential travel to the block is allowed. These are Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Japan and Australia. While the European Union is trying to create more universal travel requirements, the conditions for entry to specific countries in the community differ.

For example, Spain opened to vaccinated travelers from outside the EU on June 7, while France began implementing similar for foreign travelers on June 9th. Those on France’s Green List – vaccinated travelers from the European Union, Australia, South Korea, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand and Singapore – can enter the Fifth Republic without restrictions. Non-vaccinated travelers will need to get tested for COVID at the point of arrival.

Denmark has also opened up to fully vaccinated travelers, and neighboring Norway is allowing tourists who received two doses of the vaccine to skip quarantine. All foreign tourists can visit Greece without the need to undergo quarantine upon arrival, subject to a negative PCR test result. By the end of June, the Greek government plans to declare 80 islands, including most of the country’s major tourist destinations, safe against coronavirus infection. The island of Cyprus is open to vaccinated travelers from 65 countries, including Russia. Ireland, which has one of the strictest bans in Europe, will reopen to the EU, the UK and the US on 19 July. Non-vaccinated travelers from non-EU countries will have to arrive with a negative test and then quarantine. Slovenia has also reopened to tourism with mandatory testing requirements.

The Netherlands welcomes tourists from “safe countries with low” COVID-19 risks “while Iceland, a member state of the European Economic Area, opened its borders to vaccinated travelers back in April. Croatia also welcomes vaccinated travelers as well as those who present a negative PCR result or proof that they have recovered from COVID-19 within the last 180 days, but at least 11 days prior to arrival.