Japan will lift most of its coronavirus border controls, including a requirement that entrants show proof of three vaccinations or a pre-departure negative test, beginning Saturday as the country’s Golden Week holiday season begins and a large influx of foreign tourists is expected. All entrants with symptoms will still be required to take COVID-19 tests after arriving until May 8, and those who test positive will be placed in designated quarantine facilities, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. After May 9, testing of those with symptoms will be voluntary. FILE PHOTO: Passengers from Shanghai present proof of a negative COVID-19 test on their arrival at Narita airport near Tokyo on Jan. 8, 2023. (Kyodo News via AP) Japan will also drop a special measure subj...
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Thailand received 11.15 million foreign visitors in 2022, a surge from just about 428,000 the previous year when broad pandemic-related travel curbs were in place, tourism ministry data showed on Tuesday. The figures, which beat the government's target, reflect a solid turnaround as Thailand tries to revive its vital tourism industry, which bore the brunt of its strict entry and quarantine policies during the pandemic. A Chinese tourist rides on an elephant in a jungle park ahead of Lunar New Year in Phuket, Thailand January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Silva In December, there were 2.24 million foreign tourists, compared with 230,497 in the same month a year earlier. Pre-pandemic 2019 saw a record of nearly 40 million foreign tourists for the full year. Malaysia, India and Sing...
Read MoreTaiwan will end its mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for arrivals from Oct. 13 and welcome tourists back, the government said on Thursday, completing a major step on its plan to re-open to the outside world. Taiwan had kept some of its entry and quarantine rules in place as large parts of the rest of Asia relaxed or lifted them completely, although in June it cut the number of days required in isolation for arrivals to three from seven previously. FILE PHOTO: A person gets a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test in Taipei, Taiwan, May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Ann Wang Taiwan has reported 6.3 million domestic cases since the beginning of the year, driven by the more infectious Omicron variant. With more than 99% of those showing no or only mild symptoms, the government has relaxed restriction...
Read MoreJapan's government is planning to waive tourist visa requirements from some countries as part of a further easing of border controls enacted to stop the spread of COVID-19, Fuji News Network reported on Monday. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may decide as early as this week on the easing, which would also allow individual travellers to visit Japan without travel agency bookings, FNN reported. Japan did not require tourist visas for 68 countries and regions before the pandemic. FILE PHOTO: Thai travelers, from left, Sorrasek Thuantawee, Kantpong Madeecharoenporn and Korranut Nuntanatamon check in for their trip to Osaka and Tokyo, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn province, Thailand, Thursday, June 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) The government may scrap a da...
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