In pictures: coronavirus has left Asia’s tourism hotspots deserted

From Japan’s cherry blossoms to the Sydney Opera House, from Bali’s beaches to the backstreets of Bangkok – the tourists have vanished

Some countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam, are promoting domestic travel. Others are planning ‘travel bubbles’ once restrictions ease

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The Dotonbori neighbourhood in Osaka is usually packed with tourists and shoppers. The number of infections in the region has gradually declined and businesses have been slowly reopening but the streets remain quiet. Photo: EPA

Published: 4:00pm, 16 Jun 2020Updated: 4:00pm, 16 Jun 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has proved devastating for tourism across Asia, prompting governments to impose strict lockdowns and causing international travel to grind to a halt.

Tourism remains a major plank in Asian economies. In 2018, tourism receipts accounted for 5.5 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP), 5.8 per cent of Malaysia’s, and more than 11 per cent of Vietnam’s and Thailand’s. In Cambodia, it was 17.8 per cent of GDP, and in regions such as Bali in Indonesia, up to 70 per cent of the people depend on tourism.

The World Travel & Tourism Council projects there will be a staggering 63.4 million tourism job losses in Asia due to the pandemic.

In response, several countries have taken extra steps to promote domestic travel as they cautiously reopen. Both Thailand and Vietnam have launched campaigns to promote domestic tourism, offering lower prices to attract travellers to otherwise popular destinations.

Other countries are considering establishing “travel bubbles” that would eventually allow visitors from other countries deemed to be low risk for coronavirus, pending the mutual agreement of testing protocols.