A global travel divide is deepening as some countries ditch COVID-19 restrictions — including quarantines, isolation and even mandatory testing — for good, while others cling to yearsold curbs.
Lingering barriers to travel in Asia, in particular, are isolating the region and its tourism-reliant economies, just as the recovery in Europe and the U.S. accelerates. In the U.K., authorities are dumping unpopular preflight tests and now only require proof of vaccination as they strive to normalize international air traffic.
The marquee transit hubs of Hong Kong and Singapore are being shunned as travelers seek to avoid weeks in hotel isolation on arrival or a raft of testing swabs. Airlines, which before the pandemic operated about 30,000 flights a month to the two Asian gateways, have slashed that number to just 4,514 in February, according to aviation data company Cirium.
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