Destinations Known | When will Taiwan open for travel again? Shortage of Covid-19 vaccinations and April outbreak complete a reversal of fortune
- Once the envy of the world for how it managed Covid-19, Taiwan could now be one of the last places to open again to travellers, some experts believe
- Less than 8 per cent of its population has received at least one vaccination dose, according to one report
However, the very next day, another Reuters report all but extinguished that hope, stating: “Taiwan will tighten border controls to keep out the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus […] requiring arrivals from five countries, including Britain, to be placed in centralised quarantine facilities”.
Such flip-flopping when it comes to Covid-19-related travel restrictions has become familiar to would-be travellers around the world, but it does raise the question: will Taiwan ever reopen? Well, of course it will, but according to one tourism industry insider, it could be among the last destinations in Asia to see travellers return.
During a presentation for the Guam Visitors Bureau last month, Brenda Hsiuan, a business development manager for Taiwan-based online travel platform KKday, predicted that South Koreans would be the first in Asia to venture beyond their borders in significant numbers, largely because of the proportion of its population that has been inoculated against Covid-19. “I know their vaccination situation is going very well,” Hsiuan said. “They are really ready to go out.” As of June 28, almost 30 per cent of South Koreans had received at least one vaccine dose, according to online publication Our World in Data.
“I think Taiwan might be the last one,” Hsiuan said, and while she appeared to have been referring to outbound tourists, the island has proven to be cautious regarding (almost) all cross-border regulations and in keeping inbound travellers out, too.
