在經(jīng)歷了兩年的旅行限制后,印度的旅游業(yè)期盼政府能夠?yàn)閲H游客重開國門,。然而,盡管每天的新冠病例急劇下降,,但印度政府仍然在3月2日決定無限期延長國際航班禁令,,此舉令旅游業(yè)備受打擊。
印度民航總局(Directorate General of Civil Aviation)稱:“主管當(dāng)局已經(jīng)決定延長定期國際航班的禁飛令,,且解禁日另行通知”,,但并未詳細(xì)說明做出這一決定的原因。
“太出乎意料了,。我們一直在圍繞放開國際航班限制與政府進(jìn)行接觸,。”印度旅游和酒店業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)聯(lián)合會(huì)(Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality)的首席執(zhí)行官阿希什·古普塔在接受采訪時(shí)表示,?!拔艺J(rèn)為我們很快會(huì)看到政府將重新考慮這個(gè)決定?!?/p>
2021年12月初,,因?yàn)槌霈F(xiàn)具有高度傳染性的奧密克戎變種毒株,印度政府宣布推遲原定于2021年12月15日恢復(fù)國際航班的計(jì)劃,。自2020年3月以來,,印度實(shí)際上把大多數(shù)國際游客都拒之門外。
在禁飛令于2021年12月頒布之后,,印度的旅游業(yè)希望通過圣誕節(jié)和新年假期國際旅游旺季來大賺一筆的夢(mèng)想破滅了,。古普塔指出,3月2日無限期推遲邊境重開的決定,,可能意味著航空公司和旅游經(jīng)營者又將失去印度游客帶來的收入,。4至6月期間正是印度學(xué)校和大學(xué)放暑假的時(shí)候,很多印度游客通常會(huì)在這段時(shí)間出國旅游,。
印度旅游業(yè)的產(chǎn)值約占其內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值的9%,,旅游業(yè)也是該國就業(yè)人口最多的行業(yè)。在新冠疫情爆發(fā)之前,,每年前往印度的外國游客會(huì)為其貢獻(xiàn)300億美元的收入,。在截至2020年3月的財(cái)政年度,有近1700萬人前往印度旅游,,同期約有2700萬印度人出境旅游,。
印度的這項(xiàng)決定阻礙了更多旅游熱點(diǎn)開放的趨勢(shì),。
泰國,、新加坡、馬爾代夫以及多個(gè)歐洲國家已經(jīng)放寬了在2021年年底首次爆發(fā)奧密克戎疫情后實(shí)施的旅行限制,。
自2020年3月首次鎖國以來,,印度只允許來自36個(gè)國家的航班根據(jù)航空旅行泡泡協(xié)議入境,,該協(xié)議適用于遭遇特殊情況的乘客,例如滯留海外的印度國民或持有醫(yī)療簽證的外國國民,。根據(jù)泡泡協(xié)議進(jìn)入印度的乘客需要完全接種新冠疫苗并持有飛行前72小時(shí)新冠陰性檢測(cè)證明,。
2021年12月,印度以奧密克戎病毒威脅為由推遲重開邊境,。然而,,這款新冠病毒變體如今對(duì)印度脆弱的醫(yī)療保健系統(tǒng)構(gòu)成的威脅正在減小。3月2日,,印度的新冠每日新增病例數(shù)降至7554例,,而1月20日的峰值為347254例。
印度旅游專業(yè)人士聯(lián)合會(huì)(Confederation of Tourism Professionals)的主席蘇巴什·戈亞爾稱:“現(xiàn)在,,印度各地的大學(xué),、學(xué)校、電影院,,甚至餐館都已經(jīng)開放,。第三波疫情即將結(jié)束,印度沒有理由不開放國際航班,?!?/p>
戈亞爾說,泡泡協(xié)議航班的數(shù)量是有限的,,且其票價(jià)是新冠疫情前類似航班的三倍,。他認(rèn)為,借助安全的規(guī)范,,印度可以輕易地恢復(fù)定期國際航班的數(shù)量,,比如抵達(dá)印度前進(jìn)行新冠檢測(cè)。
盡管印度當(dāng)局尚未宣布取消禁飛令的日期,,但一些旅游業(yè)官員預(yù)計(jì)這個(gè)日期可能是本月晚些時(shí)候,。
Creative Travel公司的總經(jīng)理、印度工業(yè)聯(lián)合會(huì)(Confederation of Indian Industry)的旅游委員會(huì)成員拉吉夫·科利表示:“我認(rèn)為,,出于行政管理的原因,,當(dāng)局可能還無法給出禁令解除的日期?!?/p>
有鑒于俄烏之戰(zhàn)改變了飛行路線,,并帶來了新的不確定性,全球旅行行業(yè)的前景變得更加暗淡,,歐洲尤為如此,。
科利說:“歐洲在這一方面肯定會(huì)猶豫不決。有鑒于印度的地理位置,或許我們能夠利用這一點(diǎn),?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
在經(jīng)歷了兩年的旅行限制后,印度的旅游業(yè)期盼政府能夠?yàn)閲H游客重開國門,。然而,,盡管每天的新冠病例急劇下降,但印度政府仍然在3月2日決定無限期延長國際航班禁令,,此舉令旅游業(yè)備受打擊,。
印度民航總局(Directorate General of Civil Aviation)稱:“主管當(dāng)局已經(jīng)決定延長定期國際航班的禁飛令,且解禁日另行通知”,,但并未詳細(xì)說明做出這一決定的原因,。
“太出乎意料了。我們一直在圍繞放開國際航班限制與政府進(jìn)行接觸,?!庇《嚷糜魏途频陿I(yè)協(xié)會(huì)聯(lián)合會(huì)(Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality)的首席執(zhí)行官阿希什·古普塔在接受采訪時(shí)表示?!拔艺J(rèn)為我們很快會(huì)看到政府將重新考慮這個(gè)決定,。”
2021年12月初,,因?yàn)槌霈F(xiàn)具有高度傳染性的奧密克戎變種毒株,,印度政府宣布推遲原定于2021年12月15日恢復(fù)國際航班的計(jì)劃。自2020年3月以來,,印度實(shí)際上把大多數(shù)國際游客都拒之門外,。
在禁飛令于2021年12月頒布之后,印度的旅游業(yè)希望通過圣誕節(jié)和新年假期國際旅游旺季來大賺一筆的夢(mèng)想破滅了,。古普塔指出,,3月2日無限期推遲邊境重開的決定,可能意味著航空公司和旅游經(jīng)營者又將失去印度游客帶來的收入,。4至6月期間正是印度學(xué)校和大學(xué)放暑假的時(shí)候,,很多印度游客通常會(huì)在這段時(shí)間出國旅游。
印度旅游業(yè)的產(chǎn)值約占其內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值的9%,,旅游業(yè)也是該國就業(yè)人口最多的行業(yè),。在新冠疫情爆發(fā)之前,每年前往印度的外國游客會(huì)為其貢獻(xiàn)300億美元的收入,。在截至2020年3月的財(cái)政年度,,有近1700萬人前往印度旅游,同期約有2700萬印度人出境旅游,。
印度的這項(xiàng)決定阻礙了更多旅游熱點(diǎn)開放的趨勢(shì),。
泰國,、新加坡、馬爾代夫以及多個(gè)歐洲國家已經(jīng)放寬了在2021年年底首次爆發(fā)奧密克戎疫情后實(shí)施的旅行限制,。
自2020年3月首次鎖國以來,印度只允許來自36個(gè)國家的航班根據(jù)航空旅行泡泡協(xié)議入境,,該協(xié)議適用于遭遇特殊情況的乘客,,例如滯留海外的印度國民或持有醫(yī)療簽證的外國國民。根據(jù)泡泡協(xié)議進(jìn)入印度的乘客需要完全接種新冠疫苗并持有飛行前72小時(shí)新冠陰性檢測(cè)證明,。
2021年12月,,印度以奧密克戎病毒威脅為由推遲重開邊境。然而,,這款新冠病毒變體如今對(duì)印度脆弱的醫(yī)療保健系統(tǒng)構(gòu)成的威脅正在減小,。3月2日,印度的新冠每日新增病例數(shù)降至7554例,,而1月20日的峰值為347254例,。
印度旅游專業(yè)人士聯(lián)合會(huì)(Confederation of Tourism Professionals)的主席蘇巴什·戈亞爾稱:“現(xiàn)在,印度各地的大學(xué),、學(xué)校,、電影院,甚至餐館都已經(jīng)開放,。第三波疫情即將結(jié)束,,印度沒有理由不開放國際航班?!?/p>
戈亞爾說,,泡泡協(xié)議航班的數(shù)量是有限的,且其票價(jià)是新冠疫情前類似航班的三倍,。他認(rèn)為,,借助安全的規(guī)范,印度可以輕易地恢復(fù)定期國際航班的數(shù)量,,比如抵達(dá)印度前進(jìn)行新冠檢測(cè),。
盡管印度當(dāng)局尚未宣布取消禁飛令的日期,但一些旅游業(yè)官員預(yù)計(jì)這個(gè)日期可能是本月晚些時(shí)候,。
Creative Travel公司的總經(jīng)理,、印度工業(yè)聯(lián)合會(huì)(Confederation of Indian Industry)的旅游委員會(huì)成員拉吉夫·科利表示:“我認(rèn)為,出于行政管理的原因,,當(dāng)局可能還無法給出禁令解除的日期,。”
有鑒于俄烏之戰(zhàn)改變了飛行路線,,并帶來了新的不確定性,,全球旅行行業(yè)的前景變得更加暗淡,,歐洲尤為如此。
科利說:“歐洲在這一方面肯定會(huì)猶豫不決,。有鑒于印度的地理位置,,或許我們能夠利用這一點(diǎn)?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
India on March 2 extended a ban on international flights indefinitely despite a sharp drop in its daily COVID cases, disappointing the tourism industry that was expecting the government to welcome foreign travelers back this month after two years of restrictions.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the “competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international flights till further orders,” without elaborating on the reasons for the decision.
“It was rather unexpected. We have been constantly following up with the government to open up the flights,” Ashish Gupta, chief executive officer of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality, said in an interview. “I expect we should see a quick revisit of the decision.”
In early December, the Indian government deferred a plan to resume international flights on Dec. 15, following the emergence of the highly transmissible Omicron COVID variant. India has effectively closed its borders to most international travelers since March 2020.
The December order killed the tourism industry’s hope of capitalizing on peak international travel during the Christmas and New Year holidays. The March 2 decision to indefinitely delay the reopening of India’s borders could mean that airlines and tour operators miss out on revenue from Indian travelers who would normally travel overseas during the April to June period when schools and colleges have their summer break, Gupta says.
Tourism accounts for around 9% of India’s GDP, and the sector is one of the country’s largest employers. Before the pandemic, India earned around $30 billion annually from foreign travelers visiting the country. Nearly 17 million travelers entered India in the financial year that ended March 2020, and around 27 million Indians traveled to international destinations during the same period.
India’s decision bucks a trend of more tourism hotspots opening up.
Thailand, Singapore, the Maldives, as well as several European nations have eased travel restrictions that were imposed after initial Omicron outbreaks late last year.
Since its first lockdown in March 2020, India has only allowed flights from 36 countries under an air-bubble pact that serves fliers with special circumstances, such as Indian nationals stranded overseas or foreign nationals holding medical visas. Travelers within the bubble can enter India so long as they are fully vaccinated and test negative for COVID within 72 hours of their flight.
When India postponed its border reopening in December, it cited the threat of Omicron. But the risk the COVID variant poses to India’s precarious health care system is easing. The number of daily COVID cases in India dropped to 7,554 on March 2, compared with a peak of 347,254 cases on Jan. 20.
“Colleges, schools, cinema theaters, and even restaurants are now being opened up across India. There is no reason for India to not open up international flights now that the third wave of COVID has nearly finished,” says Subhash Goyal, president of the Confederation of Tourism Professionals.
Ticket prices for the limited number of flights in the air bubbles are triple what similar flights cost pre-pandemic, Goyal says. He argues that India easily could resume regular international flights with safety protocols such as testing for COVID prior to arrival in the country.
Some tourism industry officials expect the Indian government to lift the flight ban later this month, though authorities have not yet announced a date.
“I think they have probably not been able to announce a date yet because of administrative reasons,” says Rajeev Kohli, managing director at Creative Travel and a member of the tourism committee at the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Globally, the outlook for travel has dimmed now that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has altered flight routes and created fresh uncertainty, especially across Europe.
“There will definitely be hesitancy in Europe,” says Kohli. “Maybe we can take advantage of that given India’s geographic location.”