Singapore Eases Travel Restrictions Allowing Free Travel to 10 Countries... South Korea Included from Next Month 15
Domestic Aviation Industry Anticipates 'International Flights Resumption' with Full-scale With-Corona Era
When the Singapore government recently announced that it would allow overseas travel without self-quarantine, airline and travel agency websites crashed due to a flood of reservations. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Recently, after Singapore announced a policy allowing overseas travel without self-quarantine, airline and travel agency websites crashed due to a sudden surge of travelers.
On the 9th, Singapore announced a 'travel restriction easing' measure. Starting from the 19th, citizens and vaccinated travelers from 10 countries worldwide, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, will be able to travel freely between these countries.
According to a report by the UK BBC on the 13th (local time), Singapore Airlines' official website server was down throughout the past weekend due to a flood of visitors. Those who failed to purchase tickets online waited in line for hours in front of the airline's office.
People seem to be influenced by "revenge travel," which expresses a strong desire to travel abroad after being unable to do so due to COVID-19. Low Ka Wei, a corporate executive, said in an interview with the BBC, "The cabin fever caused by COVID is driving us crazy."
The Singapore government plans to include South Korea in the quarantine exemption list starting from the 15th of next month. According to the travel bubble agreement, those who have completed vaccination and passed two weeks will be able to travel to Singapore without quarantine from November 15th.
As the quarantine exemption areas expand upon entry, more people in South Korea are turning their attention to overseas travel.
Earlier, more than 4,000 South Koreans had booked trips to Saipan, which agreed to a travel bubble in July, making additional reservations difficult until the end of the year. In particular, Saipan supports part of the travel expenses and two local PCR tests for Korean travelers. Guam allows travel without quarantine if a negative PCR test is presented, even for those not fully vaccinated. Vietnam is also preparing plans to open major tourist destinations to vaccinated travelers from low-risk countries starting in December.
Additionally, as vaccination rates rise rapidly and a with-COVID atmosphere forms, domestic airlines are expected to accelerate the resumption of international flights. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the scale of international flights for the winter season starting from the last Sunday of October is expected to be maintained at a level similar to this year's summer season (360 flights per week), but the domestic aviation industry is gradually preparing for full-scale international flight operations.
Korean Air has been operating the Incheon-Guam route since August and plans to resume regular flights on the Incheon-Hanoi route next month. Operations on the Incheon-Hawaii route are also being prepared.
Asiana Airlines is also scheduled to start operating the Incheon-Guam route twice a week from next month. It has received flight permission from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and is awaiting final approval from health authorities. Low-cost carriers (LCCs) also plan to resume international flights focusing on Southeast Asia and Guam routes from the end of the year.
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