ASIA PACIFIC. Ten governments across Asia Pacific have responded positively to a campaign by the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) urging standardised COVID-19 testing prior to departure and upon arrival at the destination.
Less than a month since the advocacy drive began, governments in Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Thailand have engaged positively on the issue, said APTRA. More responses are expected from the 45 governments targeted.
Across the aviation, travel and tourism industries, stakeholders have been calling for increased testing to help governments to reopen borders safely and remove the need for quarantine measures that have damaged consumers’ willingness to travel.
APTRA President Sunil Tuli said: “This campaign has definitely created the most positive response to date in 2020, from governments across the region. We are confident we have hit the right buttons, engaging several important ministers to formally recognise the issues facing the travel retail industry.
“Advocacy takes considerable effort behind the scenes and the results do take time. However, we have received personal responses from several senior officials and this recognition of APTRA, as a significant trade association, is a positive step towards the outcome our industry needs.”
He added: “APTRA will continue to engage with governments and, where possible, we will join forces with larger organisations in aviation such as IATA and ACI. This is an example of APTRA’s power in presenting a collective industry voice – one that represents all types and sizes of businesses in travel retail.”
APTRA also welcomed the news that the governments of Singapore and Hong Kong are close to an agreement to open an air travel bubble between the countries, expected to be operational in November. From 6 November, visitors from Mainland China can enter Singapore without having to quarantine, subject to having a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival at the airport. If the result is negative they will be allowed to travel freely within Singapore’s borders.
