Whether it's Thailand's Pad Thai, South Korea's Kimchi, Japan’s Ramen, or Indonesia's Nasi Goreng, millions of tourists visit Asian countries every year to enjoy the regional delicacies. With restaurants at the forefront, the hospitality industry was the hardest hit of all the industries affected by COVID-19.

There is good news, however. With more Asian countries opening their doors to tourists, the time has come for restaurants to recover, thrive, and boost culinary tourism once again. While gastronomy is the main restaurant attraction, the method of operation, however, will alter. It is not enough for restaurants to register on delivery apps to move forward. Change is the only constant, and restaurants must adapt to new technology to survive and thrive.

Contactless technology would have to be adopted by restaurants. Even for dine-in experiences, a substantial portion of the business would have to be done online, from making orders to paying bills. For instance, hospitality operators would have to use digital tools such as QR codes to produce menus and for guests to place orders.

Another critical consideration for restaurants is crowd control to maintain social distancing norms. Reservation platforms like TableCheck enable restaurants to manage the number of guests at any given time using a table management system (TMS). Guests appreciate these reservation platforms as well. When guests visit a restaurant, the reservation platform provides comfort, convenience, and assurance that they will be seated. Restaurants must use booking platforms to make their establishments safer for their customers and improve their dining experience.

Now, let's look at some coveted Asian destinations that are relaxing their covid regulations to allow international visitors to visit their beautiful regions.

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Indonesia

According to the latest updates, foreign tourists must present a negative RT-PCR test result from their home country or region, with samples taken no more than 48 hours before departure. Furthermore, unvaccinated travelers would have to quarantine for five nights.

Singapore

Singapore has opened its doors to all fully-vaccinated visitors. There are no entry authorization, pre-departure tests, on-arrival tests, or quarantine requirements. The complete set of Singapore travel guidelines can be found here.

South Korea

All visitors to South Korea must show documentation of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken 48 hours before departure.

Unvaccinated travelers or those who have not registered their vaccination status before entering Korea must undergo a required 7-day quarantine. The complete travel information is available here.

Thailand

According to the latest government advisory, Thailand is now accessible to vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors. Travelers who have been vaccinated must have their vaccination certificate with them on arrival and must still undergo a body temperature check. On the other hand, unvaccinated travelers would be required to complete a 5-night quarantine and pay for an RT-PCR test in advance.

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Malaysia

Fully-vaccinated travelers are no longer required to undergo pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests according to the Malaysian tourism site. However, there is a mandatory 5-day quarantine for those who are not fully vaccinated with additional PCR tests required two days prior to arrival to the country.

Philippines

Travelers who are fully vaccinated are now allowed to enter the Philippines with proof of their vaccination at hand plus a PCR test done two days prior to entering the country. Minor children below twelve (12) years of age are not required to be vaccinated as long as they are traveling with their fully-vaccinated foreign parent/s.

Check the Philippine embassy in your country before making your travel arrangements.

Vietnam

Vietnam is now fully open to fully-vaccinated travelers. However, tourists need to have medical/travel insurance with a minimum coverage of $10,000 in case of COVID-19 infection. The Vietnam government has also issued health precautions for inbound travelers. Read the full list here.

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Japan

Japan will be open to tourists from June 10 onwards as long as they come on guided or package tours. The visitor countries are divided into categories, with the country opening to the 'Blue' and 'Yellow' categories.

China, Taiwan, and South Korea are among the 98 countries in the blue category. Travelers in this category would be required to take a COVID test within 72 hours of leaving for Japan and should test negative. Tourists in this category are not required to be vaccinated. They will also not be subjected to a COVID test or quarantine upon arrival.

There are 99 countries in the yellow category. Tourists in the 'Yellow' category would be required to be triple vaccinated. They should also have a COVID test within 72 hours of leaving and come back negative. However, they would not have to take a COVID test on arrival or quarantine. Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for more details.

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Countries in EMEA and APAC that tourists absolutely love and which are now open for tourism

Australia

Fully-vaccinated travelers to the land down under would have to produce vaccination proof. A quarantine would not be necessary for such travelers, nor would an RT-PCR test. You can read the complete guidelines here.

Mauritius

The beautiful island country of Mauritius is open to fully vaccinated and even unvaccinated travelers. Unvaccinated tourists would have to isolate themselves for seven days before taking an antigen test, whereas vaccinated travelers would have to do an antigen test on day zero. You can read the complete advisory here.

Seychelles

Fully-vaccinated tourists over the age of 18 who have received a booster dose six months after finishing the primary series are exempt from antigen tests. Unvaccinated visitors must obtain a negative PCR test within 72 hours or a rapid antigen test at a certified laboratory within 24 hours before traveling to Seychelles. Everyone, however, must obtain travel authorization. Check out the complete travel guidebook for Seychelles during Covid here.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

According to their official website, a negative COVID RT-PCR Test is not required for fully vaccinated visitors visiting the UAE. On the other hand, unvaccinated travelers would need to show a Covid test result taken within 48 hours before the departure date.

Here is a video created by one of TableCheck's clients Anantara The Palm Resort in Dubai.