• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

Safest destinations to travel for 2021 summer

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Summer is here and a lot of people are still contemplating on places to visit, especially as some countries are still battling with the crisis from the pandemic.

As more destinations reopen their borders, international travel is poised to begin its recovery. While Mexico and the Caribbean will continue to be popular vacation destinations, it’s possible some other places could lure travellers, especially those prioritizing safety in the time of COVID-19.

Nigerians and other nationals travelling to various countries for summer this season may be paying less for airfare as more aircraft have been deployed to various destinations with the return of Boeing MAX 8, making supply more that it was during the grounding of the aircraft type in the year 2019.

In addition, airlines are not seeing as much traffic for summer as they used to as a result of COVID-19, making them introduce incentives to attract passengers to fly again, one of which is low airfares on frequently visited destinations.

The Boeing Max 8 aircraft was grounded worldwide on March 13, 2019, after two crashes, one in Indonesia in 2018 and the other in Ethiopia in 2019, that killed a combined total of 346 people.

Airlines are now slowly adding the 737 Max back into their schedules. Southwest was the latest carrier to do so when it resumed flights March 11. The plane is now back in service with all US carriers and more carriers are expected to resume usage of the aircraft.

After the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in November 2020 cleared the Boeing 737 Max to return to service, other regulators – notably those in Brazil, Canada, Europe and the UK – have done likewise.

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In all, 13 carriers are now flying the 737 Max on commercial services. Cirium flight tracking data shows that on 5 March, operators carried out 280 revenue flights using the Max and that the in-service fleet has passed 100 aircraft.

Brazilian airline Gol was the first to bring the aircraft back into service, launching a first flight on 9 December, just 10 days after the Brazilian regulator cleared the type. Aeromexico, American Airlines and Copa Airlines followed before the end of 2020; American being the first US carrier to return the type to service.

With all these glimmer of hope in sight, here are some of the safest international destinations travellers can visit this summer:

Greece

Greece is one of the European countries least affected by coronavirus (up to 50 times fewer people infected than in the most affected European countries). The Greek healthcare system has never been overloaded during this health crisis. Moreover, the country has more hospital beds per capita than many European countries.

Iceland

Everyone flying into Iceland must have had a negative Covid-19 PCR test performed no more than 72 hours prior to arrival. Travellers are also tested on arrival, and again five or six days later. Children born in 2005 or later are exempt. However, Iceland has also announced that all travellers who have had two Covid vaccinations do not need to test or quarantine.

Portugal

If Portugal was less affected by coronavirus, the Azores Islands — like Portugal’s Algarve region — were even further spared. The Azores, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, is an archipelago of nine islands showing off nature in its purest state and one of the largest whale sanctuaries. The country reopened to travellers on July 1. No quarantine required.

Georgia

Georgia is by far one of the countries least affected by coronavirus. The country reacted very quickly with measures that kept the epidemic at an extremely low level. Batumi, located on the coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus in southwestern Georgia, is the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and the second-largest city in the country. Also called ‘Las Vegas of the Black Sea,’ Batumi is a splendid mix of beautiful scenery, vibrant culture and legendary hospitality.

Dubai

Dubai was recognised by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and received its Safe Travels stamp for its safety protocols in place. The national vaccination campaign commenced in December 2020 and is progressing at a great pace. All tourists and residents arriving into Dubai from any point of origin (including GCC countries) must hold a negative PCR test certificate, for which the test must be taken no more than 72 hours prior to the time of departure.

Thailand

Thailand recently began a four-stage plan to welcome back tourists, easing restrictions on fully vaccinated travellers and shortening mandatory quarantine requirements. Currently, the Asian country is one of the few overseas destinations to receive a Level 2 travel advisory from the U.S. State Department and has also received a Level 2 Travel Health Notice from the CDC noting an only moderate level of COVID-19 within the country’s borders.