Pandemic Travel Has Reached a Turning Point
Japan’s reopening is major news, but the bigger story is more countries have ended Covid travel restrictions than those that still have them.
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan maintained some of the most stringent travel curbs before dropping them completely in September.
Photographer: Peter Adams/Stone RFCovid-19 vaccines and boosters are losing their importance for world travelers. There are now more countries and territories—118, according to Kayak.com data—that welcome any US traveler without restrictions. Of the 109 destinations that still require testing, quarantines, or both for unvaccinated travelers, 17 don’t allow US tourism anyway.
It’s a welcome turn for a global tourism economy that’s been hammered by the novel coronavirus, and a bright note for those looking for signs of the pandemic’s end.