List of Countries Open for Travel
While the US State Dept. and governments worldwide are advising against unnecessary travel, the world is planning on slowly opening up to tourism. The unprecedented Level 4 ‘Do not travel” health warning by the US State Dept. is still in effect. Some countries are forming travel bubbles with nearby neighbors that have had similar Coronavirus travel restrictions. American passport holders will take note that the list of countries open for travel to them is very limited. Another good resource to consider is the travel section of the CDC website listing the spread of coronavirus. The situation is very fluid, but here is a list of countries that are opening up for travel and tourism.
The New Zealand border is currently closed to almost all travellers to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The travel ban applies to all arrivals into New Zealand whether it is by air or sea.
South Africa is still under lockdown and will remained closed to tourism until 2021.
Popular destinations like Thailand remain closed to international tourists. The nationwide state of emergency in Thailand lasts until June 30. For other popular destinations in South East Asia like Bali, it remains unclear when they will open up. A recent Reuters article stated that could be anytime between June – October 2020. However, tourism officials have been calling for a “travel bubble” to be implemented between Bali and Australia.
The US-Canada border remains closed to non-essential travel. According to CNN, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced during a press conference on Tuesday, May 19, that the border between the United States and Canada will remain closed until at least June 21. The border has been closed since March 21, and additional 30-day extensions are not out of the question. The Government of Canada has put in place an emergency order under the Quarantine Act. It applies to all travellers arriving in Canada.
MEXICO & CARIBBEAN
The Governor of Quintana Roo says tourism for Cancun, Riviera Maya and the state could see a reopening between June 8th and 10th. What is really confusing about Mexico opening up is that they have had to somewhat back peddle the premature announcement, because the Mexican Federal Government hasn’t given their full stamp of approval. There is no doubt that this tourism sector has a huge economic impact on Mexico.
The Government of Saint Lucia has announced a phased approach to reopening the island’s tourism sector in a responsible fashion, beginning June 4, 2020.
U.S. Virgin Islands is to reopen to nonessential travel June 1.
Bahamas is targeting a July 1 reopening. “As of now, we are looking at a possible opening date for commercial travel on or before July 1,” Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said in a radio and television broadcast on May 17.
EUROPE
The list of countries open to travel in Europe is limited for American travelers
Outside of the US, Europe was hit hard with COVID19 and had severe Coronavirus travel restrictions. The European Union’s ban on most foreigners was set to expire May 15. Now, countries are slow to open their borders, while some countries move into travel bubbles. Germany for example has just recently opened some borders with Austria, Poland and Switzerland. But tourism is still forbidden in most of Europe, especially the Schengen zone, until mid June or July.
The Prime Minister of Greece is allowing seasonal hotels to open starting June 15. International flights to Greece will gradually resume by July 1. A summer holiday in Greece looks the most promising in Europe since Greek Health Minister Haris Theoharis says foreign tourists can come to Greece without coronavirus tests required. There will also be no mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Cyprus Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos announced hotels in the country will reopen on June 1, while international air travel will restart on June 9. Cyprus will even pay your medical costs if you get coronavirus on the island. The bad news is that UK & US are noticeably absent from their 2 stage opening plan in June which is mostly for Europeans.
Spain plans to reopen to travelers in July. The details are unclear but unlike the rest of Europe, July is the target date for Spain according to Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez
Iceland has said it will reopen its borders to foreign tourists on June 15, though there’s a catch: Visitors will either have to agree to be tested for COVID-19 or self-quarantine for two weeks.
There are plenty of areas of Europe still struggling and closed to many nationalities, including American passport holders. Ireland‘s PM has said that the fight is not over yet. Why even bother this summer if pubs in Ireland will not open until August 10?
In Italy, a ban on travel between regions and abroad will remain in place until after Italy’s June 2 Republic Day holiday, preventing any mass travel over that long holiday weekend. Then, only those from the E.U., the U.K. and Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican are allowed. Americans are not yet welcome.
For more information on planning travel during Coronavirus, check out my article on HOW TO PLAN INDEPENDENT TRAVEL.
