Caribbean Island Montserrat is Currently Open Only to the Rich, Here’s Why – News18

The Caribbean island of Montserrat is known for its scenic beauty, black sand beaches and now, for its rich-only tourism policy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism sector across the world buckled. In an attempt to keep Covid-19 at bay while also maintaining some revenue from tourism, the Carribean island opened up to vacationers, but only the wealthiest. Montserrat is open to only those travellers who can afford the entry fee and a minimum of two months to stay on the island. The requirement entails that the allowed tourists should have an income of $70,000 per year. Since April, only 21 people from 7 high-flying families qualified to enter the island, as per a New York Times report. As of September 24, there were only 33 cases of Covid-19 and only one such death in the island, and consequently, wearing masks is not a norm there, Euronews reported. Moreover, both vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers there have to quarantine themselves for two weeks, in order to protect the near-about five thousand residents of the island. Less than a quarter of Montserratians are vaccinated against Covid-19, so an outbreak could have potentially dangerous outcomes.

Ironically, however, families of Montserratians from neighbouring islands have been largely unable to visit because the island stopped ferry services, the Euronews report said. However, from October 1, the rules are set to change and all vaccinated travellers will be able to enter the island. The two-moth stay, too, will no longer be necessary. One of the tourist attractions of the place is the Soufriere Volcano, which last erupted in 1995 and continues to be monitored. However, the island is potentially susceptible to volcanic activity. The hurricane season, which spans from June to November, is also currently on.

World Tourism Day was recently celebrated, on September 27. The day was first proclaimed in 1970 and United Nations World Tourism Organization declared it as an international observance. The day is observed to raise awareness about the importance of tourism and its effect on social, cultural, political and economic values globally. With travel restrictions easing in many countries around the world, the travel freaks are all set to venture out and complete their pending bucket list.

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Caribbean Island Montserrat is Currently Open Only to the Rich, Here's Why - News18