Queensland to open state to Sydney visitors
Queensland will allow residents from Greater Sydney to enter the state from December 1, in an easing of coronavirus border restrictions. Additionally, visitors from New South Wales will no longer be required to quarantine for 14 days when entering Queensland. It appeared likely that visitors from Victoria would be allowed into Queensland pending one more COVID-free day.
Are COVID passports the future of international travel?
Global airline lobby IATA is working on a mobile app that will help travelers demonstrate their coronavirus-free status, joining a push to introduce so-called COVID passports as vaccines for the disease near approval. The travel pass will display test results together with proof of inoculation, as well as listing national entry rules and details on the nearest labs, and the app will also link to an electronic copy of the holder’s passport to prove their identity. A test program will begin with British Airways parent IAG SA this year before arriving on Apple devices in the first quarter and Android in April, IATA said. Travelers will be able to share their status with border authorities or present a QR code for scanning.
Asia Pacific market update
Commercial real estate firm CBRE has released an Asia Pacific hotels market update. Key highlights include:
- Average hotel occupancy in Asia Pacific recovered to 51% in October 2020. Most countries’ effective containment of the pandemic will lend support to a regional economic recovery in 2021. This is likely to encourage greater leisure and business-related domestic travel, leading to a slow but gradual recovery in hotel occupancy.
- Hotel trading conditions will likely remain subdued in markets reliant upon international travel. Several travel bubbles across the region are being established and may lead to some cross-border tourism.
- Cleaning and safety protocols will impact the guest experience in the coming years. Examples include contactless check-in, high-frequency cleaning of surfaces and rooms and social distancing measures in amenities and communal areas.
Thailand’s domestic tourism market turns to Khao Lak
While the country’s doors remain firmly shut to international tourists, Thailand’s domestic travel has pivoted to the tourism-oriented Khao Lak area. In the first two months of this year, according to research by consulting group C9 Hotelworks, occupancies were above 80%. With the COVID-19 lockdowns, occupancy plunged in April and May, but as domestic travel re-started mid-year on the back of the government-initiated “We Travel Together” incentive, the destination has steadily gained traction from both fly- and drive-in Thai markets.