(MENAFN- Bangladesh Monitor)
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced to close the shutters of almost all the resorts and restaurants across Indonesia's Gili Islands, famed for turquoise waters, sandy beaches and diverse aquatic life.
Located close to Bali, local tourism and economy had been booming, with an estimated 1,500 foreign visitors touring Trawangan daily.
But as Indonesia first imposed a nationwide virus lockdown in March 2020 and shut borders to global travellers, bistros and cafés could not survive the loss of business.
According to a representative for Bali's international airport, there have been no international flights with foreign tourists since the airport reopened on September 16.
When asked about the Omicron variant, Bali Governor Wayan Koster remarked that the administration is concerned about the appearance of new variants and that COVID-19 conditions outside the country“would undoubtedly damage the effort to revitalise tourism.
COVID-related tourist issues aren't just a problem for Bali.
According to government figures, Venice saw a 60% decrease in visitors in June and July compared to last year.
With severe border barriers, New Zealand's tourism has decreased by 95 per cent.
After just a few months ago, the Indonesian island of Bali was open to visitors from the United States, Great Britain and Russia. As soon as the revised list was issued a few days later, the US, UK, Russia, and Germany were removed.
Since Bali's scheduled reopening dates had been pushed back several times before the 19-country list was finalised, many individuals decided not to risk it.
How can anyone be sure? Airline schedules haven't been finalised, and there will be no flights now that a required quarantine has been reinstated.
Bali's eventual reopening will return the island to its pre-Omicron tourist conditions, making it hard to predict whether or not the island will see any visitors.
The Governor was also unsure at first glance.
We don't know if there will be any international arrivals this week or next week.
Few countries on Bali's initial list of reopened countries are currently on the road.
There are only a few countries in Europe and the Middle East, including Sweden, France, Hungary, Spain and Italy, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and India.
We've seen this before with other countries' lists of upcoming tourism reopening events.
Despite high vaccination rates, countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany are all absent. As a result of their large tourist markets, airlines may not have started flights to these nations.
Covid-19 travel plans can alter at any time, but it's unlikely that the island will open before the end of 2021 at the earliest. Except for a decent website, no flights are scheduled, and no concrete activity is taken to shed any light.
It's estimated that more than two dozen countries depended on travel for more than 20 per cent of their GDP before the pandemic, including Thailand, Fiji, Jamaica, and the Philippines.
Due to a decline in tourism, Thailand is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades.
According to a World Tourism Organization survey, 45% of travel experts believe that international tourism to their country will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 or later.
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