Coronavirus cases still increase, whereas different nations shut their borders, so it is not a good time as far as international travel is concerned. Anyhow, with the new vaccines in circulation around the world, there is still some hope. That is what causes experts to expect international travel to resume in 2021’s second half.
The year 2020 was bad for air travel and airlines. This is signified by a considerable reduction in the passenger count for most of 2020, causing very inexpensive flights. In spite of some government assistance, the coronavirus affected airlines badly. The fact that airlines had to lay off workers as well as enforce voluntary leaves and early retirement signify that impact. In the holiday period, the traveler count considerably rose despite health experts’ warnings, but there were fewer passenger volumes in 2020 as compared to the preceding year.
Anyhow, travel industry experts who talked to CNN sounded hopeful in forecasting that international travel would increase in the year’s second half. That would especially happen in the event of enforcing mandated quarantines, plus a much more effective means of certifying coronavirus tests and vaccine administrations.
Nationwide vaccines and tests may considerably affect travelers, but experts regard cross-border coordination and communication as the most important things here. Experts feel that the said quarantines cause delays to potential travelers. At the same time, they recommend enforcing a safe and more lenient quarantine model. For instance, Tori Emerson Barnes of the US Travel Association recommends a coronavirus screening mechanism that would allow bypassing quarantine in the event of getting a negative outcome.
With coronavirus vaccines becoming available, plus the tests being more reliable than before, a few international airlines may make passengers prove whether or not they are tested or vaccinated. Those kinds of details should be accessible to different nations safely and reliably.
The process of restarting international travel may be slow and long, plus one that would entail much experimentation. While 2021 may be better for this industry as compared to the previous year, we can look forward to having much change in the months ahead. We know COVID-19 better and are much more efficacious in stopping its spread than before, but it would take more time for tourism, travelers, and airlines to recover.