Add New Zealand and Vietnam to the list of countries opening their borders again to international visitors after prolonged closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.On Wednesday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her nation was “ready to welcome the world back” with most tourists allowed to return by May as the nation continues to ease its coronavirus restrictions.

The announcement bought forward the date that tourists from countries including Canada, the US, Britain and much of Europe can visit from the previously announced date of October.

International tourism used to account for about 20% of New Zealand’s foreign income and more than 5% of GDP. But when the pandemic began, New Zealand enacted some of the world’s strictest border controls and tourism evaporated.

Under the new timeline, tourists from Australia will be able to visit from April 12 and tourists from other visa-waiver countries can visit from May 1. Tourists from non-waiver countries – including India and China – will need to wait longer, unless they already have valid visitor visas.

Tourists must be vaccinated and test negative for the virus before leaving their home country and again after arriving in New Zealand.

Vietnam

Meanwhile, Vietnam on Wednesday scrapped quarantine and other travel restrictions for foreign visitors in an effort to fully reopen its border after two years of pandemic-related closure.

Visitors entering the Southeast Asian country only need to show a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival, according to the Health Ministry, which said the new measures were effective immediately.

Visitors must monitor their own health during the first 10 days of their stay and notify medical professionals in Vietnam if they experience any COVID-19-like symptoms.

Vietnam also reinstated visa exemptions and the issuance of visas on arrival similar to their pre-pandemic status.

Vietnam closed its border and stopped issuing tourist visas in March 2020 to contain the spread of the coronavirus. It partially reopened to international tourism last November for visitors travelling in strict bubbles.

In Hanoi’s Old Quarter, where streets were bustling before the pandemic, many shops have closed due to a lack of tourists. The few that remain open are struggling.

The tourism industry comprised nearly 10% of the country’s economy before the pandemic.

The reopening comes as Vietnam reports record numbers of new COVID-19 infections, with a daily average of nearly 200,000 cases over the past two weeks.

Despite the high infection rate, the Health Ministry says the majority of patients have mild symptoms from the omicron variant and do not require hospitalization.

Vietnam has administered over 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, covering 80% of the country’s 98 million people, according to the Health Ministry.