Easing Of Travel Restrictions Research Articles

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on inbound air travel to Canada.

Commercial air travel can result in global dispersal of infectious diseases. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries implemented border measures, including restrictions on air travel, to reduce the importation risk of COVID-19. In the context of inbound air travel to Canada, this study aimed to: 1) characterize travel trends before and during the pandemic, and 2) statistically assess the association between travel volumes and travel restrictions during the pandemic. Monthly commercial air travel volume data from March 2017 to February 2023 were obtained from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). National and airport-level travel trends to Canada were characterized by inbound travel volumes, the number of countries contributing travellers and the ranking of the top ten countries contributing travellers across the study period, by six year-length subperiod groupings (three pre-pandemic and three pandemic). Using seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) models, interrupted time series (ITS) analyses assessed the association between major travel restrictions and travel volumes by including variables to represent changes to the level and slope of the time series. The pre-pandemic inbound travel volume increased by 3% to 7% between consecutive subperiods, with three seasonal peaks (July-August, December-January, March). At the onset of the pandemic, travel volume decreased by 90%, with the number of contributing countries declining from approximately 200 to 140, followed by a slow recovery in volume and seasonality. A disruption in the ranking of countries that contributed travellers was also noticeable during the pandemic. Results from the ITS analysis aligned with the timing of travel restrictions as follows: implementation in March 2020 coincided with a sharp reduction in volumes, while the easing of major restrictions, starting with the authorization of fully vaccinated travellers from the United States to enter Canada in August 2021, coincided with an increase in the slope of travel volumes. Descriptive and statistical results suggest a near-return of pre-pandemic travel patterns by the end of the study period. Study results suggest resilience in commercial air travel into Canada. Although the COVID-19 pandemic led to a disruption in travel trends, easing of travel restrictions appeared to enable pre-pandemic trends to re-emerge. Understanding trends in air travel volumes, as demonstrated here, can provide information that supports preparedness and response regarding importation risk of infectious pathogens.

Easing of travel restrictions: Examining increased intention toward proximity tourism through quasi‐experiments

AbstractThe rise of proximity tourism since the onset of COVID‐19 has enabled individuals to assess their daily lives from new perspectives. Nevertheless, in studies of this change, scant attention has been given to the influence of government performance on the perception and behavior of proximity tourists. Drawing upon micro‐governance theory in conjunction with the two‐factor hygiene model, this study proposes a novel conceptual framework. The effects of pandemic‐related strict vs. relaxed travel restrictions on potential proximity tourists' intention to travel are examined alongside mortality salience as a moderator and perceived extraordinariness as a mediator. Two quasi‐experiments reveal a positive link between government performance and travel intention, especially when moderated by mortality salience. Relaxed travel restrictions, coupled with the performance of government protests, greater perceived extraordinariness, thus amplifying travel intention. This study offers pioneering empirical validation of government response and its impact on post‐disaster proximity tourism intention.

Wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in Gold Coast residential aged care facilities after easing travel restrictions into Queensland.

This paper describes outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Gold Coast residential aged care facilities (RACFs), in the two months following the easing of travel restrictions at Queensland's domestic border on 13 December 2021. This audit reviewed all RACF COVID-19 outbreaks notified to the Gold Coast Public Health Unit between 13 December 2021 and 12 February 2022. An outbreak was defined by the Communicable Diseases Network Australia guidelines current at the time. There were 60 COVID-19 outbreaks across 57 RACFs during this period. In 44 outbreaks (73.3%), a staff member was identified as the primary or co-primary case. Transmission amongst residents occurred in 48 outbreaks (80.0%). The attack rates in staff and residents were 17.0% (n = 1,060) and 11.7% (n = 645) respectively. A higher number of males were hospitalised (n = 39: 57.4%) or died (n = 28: 66.7%) than were females (n = 29: 42.6%; n = 14: 33.3% respectively). Most resident cases (n = 565: 87.6%) had received two or more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. In resident cases who were under-vaccinated (n = 76), twenty (26.3%) required hospitalisation and nine (11.8%) died. In resident cases who received two doses of vaccine (n = 484), forty-three (8.9%) were hospitalised and 27 (5.8%) died. In resident cases who had received three doses (n = 80), four (5.0%) were hospitalised and five (6.3%) died. COVID-19 caused significant morbidity and mortality in Gold Coast RACFs following the easing of border restrictions. Higher rates of hospitalisation and death occurred in males than in females, and in under-vaccinated resident cases than in those vaccinated with at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. These data support the need for up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination of residents in RACFs, continued surveillance and timely and appropriate implementation of public health guidelines to manage COVID-19 outbreaks in RACFs.

Risk Perception in the Post COVID-19 Pandemic Era: An Analysis of Tourist Accommodation and Travel Behavior in the New Normal Era

After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, research on travel risk perception has been dominated by the study of health risks as a significant factor that influences tourists’ purchase behavior toward tourism and hospitality products, such as accommodation selection. However, research on other travel-risk-related factors remains limited. This study aimed to fill this gap in the literature. Through exploratory factor analysis, the study explored various risk perception factors toward staying in tourist accommodation among tourists during the easing of travel restrictions in Indonesia. Through a survey of 411 foreign and domestic tourists, the study identified 22 risk items and categorized the items into the following 5 dimensions of risk perception: potential loss risk (six items, 39.9% variance), psychological risk (five items, 9.1% variance), health risk (four items, 5.7% variance), social risk (three items, 5.3% variance), and financial risk (four items, 4.7% variance). This study is one of the few studies on risk perception that proposes a multi-dimensional approach rather than a single-dimension approach to risk perception in the hospitality context. These findings may enhance the literature on travel risk perception amidst the crisis and contribute to tourism recovery strategies in the post-pandemic era.

The Changing Epidemiology of Respiratory Viruses in Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Canary in a COVID Time.

The Changing Epidemiology of Respiratory Viruses in Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Canary in a COVID Time.

Remote health service vulnerabilities and responses to the COVID‐19 pandemic

The rapid response to the COVID‐19 pandemic in Australia has highlighted the vulnerabilities of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in terms of the high prevalence of complex chronic disease and socio‐economic factors such as limited housing availability and overcrowding. The response has also illustrated the capability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Sector, working with the government, to rapidly and effectively mitigate the threat of transmission into these vulnerable remote communities. The pandemic has exposed persistent workforce challenges faced by primary health care services in remote Australia. Specifically, remote health services have a heavy reliance on short‐term or fly‐in, fly‐out/drive‐in, drive‐out staff, particularly remote area nurses. The easing of travel restrictions across the country brings the increased risk of transmission into remote areas and underscores the need to adequately plan and fund remote primary health care services and ensure the availability of an adequate, appropriately trained local workforce in all remote communities.

Primer on the Cuban Legal System

The Cuban legal system is a unique blend of many historical influences and political theories. With the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba in 2015 and the easing of travel restrictions between the countries, the number of U.S. attorneys and law students visiting Cuba has grown exponentially. Interest in the Cuban legal system has likewise increased dramatically, but little current information about the Cuban legal system is available in English. This article provides an overview of the structure of the Cuban government and its legal system that will be useful to lawyers and law students preparing to visit or do business in Cuba. It also provides background regarding the profession of law in Cuba, including information regarding the legal education system. Finally, the article provides brief summaries of a few selected areas of law to give a general sense of Cuban civil and criminal law and procedure and draws some comparisons between the U.S. and Cuban legal systems.

(Re)presenting Russian Architecture

Against the widespread and enduring international interest in Russian literature, music, ballet, and painting, the dearth of scholarly work in the West on almost all aspects of Russian architecture stands in sharp contrast. This article will address the reasons for the disparity. My efforts to improve the situation, both in photographic work and in publishing, took a circuitous route, both in Russia and within Western academic circles. After intensive photographic documentation in central Russia during the 1970s, the easing of travel restrictions in the 1980s enabled the expansion of my work to distant regions, including the Russian north, Ural Mountains, Siberia, and the Far East. In addition to a survey of my fieldwork, this article discusses the creation of systems to preserve and disseminate photographic documentation. Included is a small selection of photographs that span forty years of my work in Russia.

Perception Differences Between Domestic and International Visitors in the Tourist Destination

As a role of political boundaries become less of a dividing line and more a line of integration. During the past decade, the world has undergone tremendous geopolitical changes, wherein the role of political frontiers has become that of a line of integration rather than simply a barrier to interaction. The easing of travel restrictions by many countries and international cooperation in economic development have been at the forefront of these shifts in political ideologies. Recent research has confirmed the importance of tourism in borderland areas. This study examines domestic and international tourists' perceptions and attitudes towards political boundaries and tourism and concludes with a discussion of the resulting challenges to tourist attractions in the DMZ areas. The unique findings of this study may contribute to verify relationships between political boundaries and tourism theories. Additionally, the methodology used to study and the findings on tourist attitudes and perceptions about the DMZ areas could prove useful to other researchers who will likely undertake similar research in the future.

Tourists’ Perceptions and Attitudes towards Political Boundaries and Tourism

During the past decade, the world has undergone tremendous geopolitical changes, wherein the role of political frontiers has become that of a line of integration rather than simply a barrier to interaction. The easing of travel restrictions by many countries and international cooperation in economic development have been at the forefront of these shifts in political ideologies. Recent research has confirmed the importance of tourism in borderland areas. This study examines domestic tourists' perceptions and attitudes towards political boundaries and tourism and concludes with a discussion of the resulting challenges to tourist attractions in the DMZ areas. The unique findings of this study may contribute to verify relationships between political boundaries and tourism theories. Additionally, the methodology used to study and the findings on tourist attitudes and perceptions about the DMZ areas could prove useful to other researchers who will likely undertake similar research in the future.