The public is advised that all protocols will be revised as necessary, based on the changing nature of the COVID-19 disease and compliance of the public and travellers to St. Vincent and The Grenadines. The importance of strict compliance to all quarantine and isolation orders is paramount. It is only by complying with these orders and the use of masks in public spaces that the spread of COVID-19 can be controlled in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

El país logró recibir el sello Safe Travels o Destino Seguro del Consejo Mundial de Viajes y Turismo (WTTC, por sus siglas en inglés), gracias a la implementación de los 16 protocolos sanitarios para las actividades turísticas.

“Para conseguir el sello debimos enviar los protocolos a revisión a la WTTC, los aprobaron y ahora viene una tercera etapa con el proceso para sub-licenciar a las empresas turísticas costarricenses y promover el uso del sello. El éxito del sello requiere que todos pequeña, mediana y gran empresa, así como los colaboradores y turistas, cumplamos las medidas de sanidad contra la pandemia”, señaló Gustavo Segura, Ministro Rector de Turismo.

Costa Rica se une Aruba, Portugal, Dubai, Turquía, Egipto, Ucrania y las ciudades españolas de Sevilla y Benidorm, como sitios con sello Safe Travels.

This daily round-up brings you a selection of the latest news updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected. Top stories: South Korea flu vaccine troubles; grim milestones for Mexico and the US; restrictions are relaxed in Bogota; Disneyland Hong Kong reopens.

New analysis from the World Economic Forum shows that some of Latin America’s and the Caribbean’s tourism strengths are less important than before to a competitive tourism economy during COVID-19. The onset and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the factors that make a country’s travel and tourism sector competitive. Certain factors, such as healthcare capacity and digital travel offerings, are increasing in importance during the pandemic. Other factors, like international openness – a primary strength of Latin America – are now less important.

Alicia Bárcena explained that ECLAC is proposing five, very concrete recommendations: a debt relief initiative through a debt for climate change adaptation swap, which includes the creation of a resilience fund; a debt service standstill and a change in international financial institutions’ (IFIs) eligibility criteria for granting concessional funding; stage contingency bonds, especially with hurricane clauses; green and blue bonds; and liquidity support via the issuance of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).

The UN’s trade and development body warned that the loss could rise to $2.2 trillion or 2.8% of the world’s GDP if the break in international tourism lasts for eight months, in line with the expected decline in tourism as projected by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The report – Extreme Outlier: The Pandemic’s Unprecedented Shock to Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean – launches a new global Tourism Dependency Index for countries, including 35 Latin American and Caribbean economies. It urges governments to take unprecedented measures to prevent the spread of the virus, and to support citizens and economies through this shock to the most tourism-dependent region in the world. 

As some destinations have begun to re-open to international travel, the essence of this New Norm is emerging as well, with bio-security measures at its core. Much like our regional competitors, Belize has

been over the past two months working with industry partners to develop a set of national guidelines that our sector can stand guided by as we also seek the best possible strategy for a safe re-opening of our borders to international tourism. Minister of Tourism & Civil Aviation.

Within the region, the Caribbean economies are suffering even more due to their high dependence on one of the most dramatically impacted sectors—tourism—which, for some, accounts for 50 to 90 percent of GDP and employment.

Given the scale of the crisis and unprecedented uncertainty, governments have had to also deploy fiscal measures to strengthen the health system, protect the most vulnerable and support employment and otherwise viable businesses.

In accordance with the requirements of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 477 of June 12, 2020, the operation of 15 checkpoints for air communication has been resumed.

As of today, June 15, all checkpoints across the State Border of Ukraine for air transportation are open. Shifts in border patrols have entered the service in sufficient amount to ensure the admission of persons both to depart from Ukraine and to arrive in our country.

The pandemic has hit Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hard. Tourism receipts have dried up, as tourism arrivals have come to a complete halt. The economy is now projected to contract by 5.5 percent —7.8 percentage points below pre-COVID-19 projections. A drop in fiscal revenues, combined with additional direct health and social expenditures, will increase the fiscal deficit and financing needs. IMF support will help cover some of these needs and allow the government to ease the impact on the population.