IATA reveals 23 markets in EMEA’s top 50 destinations are open to vaccinated travellers with no quarantine

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed the increasing momentum towards re-opening of borders and relaxation of travel restrictions, as COVID-19 moves into the endemic phase. 23 of the 25 EMEA markets in the top 50 destinations are now open to vaccinated travel with no quarantine.

An IATA survey of travel restrictions for the world’s top 50 air travel markets (comprising 88 percent of international demand in 2019 as measured by revenue passenger kilometers) revealed the growing access available to vaccinated travelers. It showed that 25 markets representing 38 percent of 2019 international demand are open to vaccinated travelers without quarantine measures or testing requirements—up from 18 markets in mid-February. 38 markets representing 65 percent of 2019 international demand are open to vaccinated travelers with no quarantine requirements—up from 28 markets in mid-February.

Travel in Asia remains heavily compromised by COVID restrictions. While North American and European international traffic rebounded to -42 percent of their 2019 peaks last year, traffic in Asia Pacific remained at -88 percent. Even in this region, however, there has been some progress, with India and Malaysia among the countries recently announcing relaxation of restrictions.

Repeated surveys of passengers by IATA during the pandemic has shown that testing and especially quarantine are major barriers to travel. The easing of measures reflects the growing consensus that travel restrictions such as border closures and quarantine do little to control the spread of COVID-19.