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Coronavirus pandemic
OpinionComment
Todd Handcock
Todd Handcock

Opinion | For Covid-19 travel bubbles to last longer than their namesakes, standard protocol is key

  • The repeated failures to restart global travel by economies in Asia and elsewhere demonstrate the critical need for a multilateral solution to mitigate risks
  • These health and safety measures must be in place to shore up traveller confidence, without which demand will remain weak

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Decorations to simulate plane windows are seen on the exteriors of a Thai Airways pop-up aeroplane-themed restaurant in Bangkok on September 10. Coronavirus-safe travel bubbles have the potential to restart business and leisure travel in Asia, but only if robust procedures and guidelines are in place. Photo: AFP
Todd Handcock

Just a few short months ago, in markets from Hong Kong to Japan and Australia, coronavirus cases were falling and domestic travel was recovering. There was even talk of opening international travel corridors in Thailand and Indonesia.

But then, everything changed. Hong Kong’s third wave saw over 100 new cases per day; Melbourne and Auckland went into lockdown; surges were reported in Japan and Korea; and Vietnam experienced its first Covid-19 deaths after being virus-free for months.

With the new wave of infections, the Thailand and Indonesia travel bubble schemes were put on hold, mirroring what has happened in other regions. Where corridors had been allowed – for instance, between Spain and France with the UK – a sudden “popping” of the bubbles left travellers facing a two-week quarantine back home.

How can travellers make plans with confidence when bubbles continue to pop? Will travel bubbles be sustainable, or are they destined to be as fragile and temporary as their namesakes?

Visitors to a beach in Bandung, Bali, are cautioned on September 3 about the need to wear a mask by officers mobilised to curb a Covid-19 outbreak in the once-popular tourist destination. Photo: Antara Foto/Fikri Yusuf via Reuters
Visitors to a beach in Bandung, Bali, are cautioned on September 3 about the need to wear a mask by officers mobilised to curb a Covid-19 outbreak in the once-popular tourist destination. Photo: Antara Foto/Fikri Yusuf via Reuters

For travel bubbles to be successful, participating countries need to work in partnership and agree on robust test and trace procedures to safely adjust or eliminate quarantine periods. Importantly, we need coordination between governments and organisations within the travel ecosystem to get the right protocols in place and rebuild traveller confidence.

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