Asia Cracks Open the Doors to Restart Travel, But Curbs Linger
Local public health rules remain strict for many places in the region
People eating and drinking under the shade of a beach umbrella in Phuket, Thailand.
Photographer: Jack Taylor/AFP/Getty Images
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The travel hotspots of Asia are eager to get visitors back, along with the dollars, euros, pounds and renminbi they used to spend. But restrictions on the ground as well as back home mean those tourists will be slow to arrive.
Thailand, which led Asia with a pilot program for travel to Phuket, just reopened its doors to more than 60 countries. Indonesia is welcoming some travelers back to Bali and the Riau Islands, while Malaysia will reopen the sugar sand beaches of Langkawi to quarantine-free travel starting in mid-November.