COVID-19: Which countries will open their borders in July?
by Luz Prada | June 29, 2020
Which countries will open their borders in July after the coronavirus? Is it now safe to travel during summer despite the pandemic? After several weeks of being in lockdown, airlines are now reinstating routes, borders are now being reopened, and travellers are beginning to plan their next destination, considering that the summer season is about to start. Despite the remaining risks, it is safe to say that the tourism industry is beginning to adjust to this reality. This means that countries that have reopened their borders are expected to implement health measures that will ensure the safety of their tourists.
What measures will countries take after the coronavirus?
Some experts say that Coronavirus will not be eliminated anytime soon. With this in mind, governments are now taking measures in order to protect their economies, especially countries where tourism is vital. To save this profitable industry, some countries have relaxed their travel restrictions. Other nations still have strict travel restrictions, lockdown regulations, and community quarantine guidelines in place.
How will the coronavirus affect tourism?
As a traveller, expect to explore a world of nearly empty airports, people wearing masks, establishments implementing physical distancing, governments imposing quarantine protocols, and stricter travel requirements.
The influx of tourists during the summer season will drastically decrease considering that there are people wary of travelling. This is expected to result in price hikes in flight tickets and services in order to compensate for the limited headcount. With all these considerations in mind, we present you the countries opening their borders in July that will gladly welcome you in for the summer.
Which countries will open their borders in July?
Imagine yourself enjoying the sand between your toes, the sound of the waves, and the feeling of the summer breeze brushing through your skin. Well, imagine no more. Book your flights and pack your bags to go to some of these countries opening borders in July.
Asia
Most of the countries in the continent where the virus originated are still in lockdown. However, there are some nations who have succeeded in flattening the curve of Covid-19 cases and have reopened their borders. This means that tourists will now be able to travel and visit the temples of Cambodia, dive in the pristine beaches of the Maldives, and feast on Samgyeopsal, the famous South Korean Barbecue or Pho, Vietnam’s speciality soup.
Closed: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan and Yemen.
Open: Cambodia, Georgia, Iran, Maldives, South Korea, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Turkey, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan.
Partially Open: Armenia, Bangladesh and Cyprus. (Partially Open means that only selected nationalities can travel there).
Africa
Just like the Asian continent, much of Africa is still not available. Borders are still closed, which means that your Safari expedition plans are probably not going to happen anytime soon. However, some countries have already opened its doors: Benin, Egypt, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tunisia, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Closed: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini (Swaziland), Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Republic of Congo, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Nigeria, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, St. Helena, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Europe
Believe it or not, most countries in Europe have opened their borders for non-essential travel. While some countries like the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland have lifted the restriction for European Union nationals only, there are those that have fully lifted all the travel restrictions.
Open: Andorra, Belarus, France, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Vatican City (Holy See).
Closed: North Macedonia, Moldova and Russia.
Partially Open: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.
The Americas (North, South, and Central America)
A lot of the countries in this group are still not accepting non-essential travellers. Favourite destinations like Brazil, Chile, Peru, and the United States will remain closed until the COVID-19 situation in these countries becomes better. Only a handful of countries have opened for summer.
Closed: Argentina, Bolivia, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, The United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Open: Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
The Pacific and The Caribbean
Countries from the Pacific and Caribbean regions are summer hotspots because of the beautiful scenery and beaches that are to die for. Most of the governments from these island nations have felt the impact of the lack of tourism in their economies which prompted them to reopen. Travellers to this region will have the privilege to experience some of the best beaches in the world.
Closed: Australia, Anguilla, Fiji, Dominica, Haiti, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Tonga and Trinidad and Tobago.
Partially Open: Aruba, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Montserrat and Saint Lucia.
Open: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique and US Virgin Islands.
Should I travel already?
To be honest, we don’t see why not! However, leisure travelling during times of pandemic requires extra patience because you will have to abide by the different regulations and extra care in ensuring that you will be safe from this deadly virus.
Luz Prada
My name is Luz, of Greek origin, and meaning laurel. Maybe that's why I love Greek mythology. My passion is music, 30 years of piano and singing guarantee it. Traveling is my other passion. I love being imbued with sounds from different parts of the planet. I work traveling from my computer, which, although not the same, makes me enjoy it too. Sometimes I compose songs, sometimes I compose stories ...
