See how Brazil appears on the list of US media companies measuring the adaptability of nations.
An ongoing pandemic, global conflict and general uncertainty have highlighted the need for all countries to be more agile and adaptable.
Governments that can implement flexible policies and solutions based on new knowledge can more effectively serve citizens and tourists in a rapidly changing world.
To capture this ability to adapt and respond to obstacles, US News & World Report presents a new agility index as part of this year’s annual ranking of the best countries, whether adaptive, dynamic, modern, progressive or responsive.
These factors are more important than ever for tourists, many of whom are traveling internationally again for the first time in two years.
As new strains of Covid-19 are flooded, conditions can change rapidly and travelers may find greater safety when visiting countries that have a good track record of adjusting policies accurately and quickly.
We spoke with residents and policy experts in some of the top-rated countries to find out what makes a country agile and what travelers should expect when they land.
United States of America
First on the agility index, the US may not have implemented a federally mandated lockdown like many other Western countries, but its market-driven economy has allowed for an adaptability that spurred rapid innovation in the face of the Covid-19 crisis.
“See how quickly delivery services and restaurants can change jobs by delivering food to people’s homes,” says John Rose, California resident and director of risk and safety at travel company Altour.
“There weren’t too many unnecessary regulations saying that restaurants couldn’t deliver food or only work with a handful of people.”
Rose notes that the overall resilience of the country’s food industry is just a microcosm, while other companies are also able to quickly adapt to the pandemic environment, making masks or hand sanitizers, or enabling technologies such as video conferencing tools to allow people to work. more efficient than at home.
Additionally, each state can implement different policies based on its specific needs, creating 50 unique ways to respond to the pandemic.
“California and Florida have handled the pandemic in opposite ways. While California has strict lockdowns, Florida has denied any restrictions,” Rose says.
“Still, both economies performed very well. Everything turned into strong single policy leadership.”
At the national level, mandatory use of masks on airplanes and airports has allowed tourists to continue traveling safely, which has sustained this industry and its economic benefits during the pandemic.
The government still requires international travelers to be fully vaccinated.
Anyone wishing to visit the US should be aware that vaccination rates among residents vary widely by state and even county, with some cities having much higher vaccination rates and ready to welcome visitors again with confidence.
Rose recommends checking the situation in the county you plan to visit rather than the state as a whole for more accurate information.
Australia
Ranking second in the agility index with higher scores for responsiveness and adaptability, Australia has taken a very different approach to the US and has implemented strict quarantines keeping the number of Covid cases in the island nation at world lows.
However, in the face of the recent waves of Covid, the country has rapidly moved from an eradication strategy to a full reopening based on a nearly 95% vaccination rate among adults over the age of 16.
“Australians now feel like they’ve reconnected with the world after nearly two years of isolation,” says Kate Slater, a strategy consultant in Sydney, who blogs about travel at Kate Abroad.
He also notes that the country has implemented a state/regional intervention that offers several different approaches to how to deal with ongoing challenges.
For example, New South Wales, the largest state with the largest airport, announced in December 2021 that it would lift quarantine requirements for international visitors, prompting the federal government to accelerate the reopening of international borders for travelers in February 2022.
Tourists should check state and regional arrival requirements as each can be different and change abruptly.
The country also recently announced that the cruise arrival ban has been lifted, effective April 17, 2022, although cruise passengers still need to be vaccinated.
The country’s strict lockdown measures have encouraged residents to travel domestically, which has exploded new possibilities in less touristy regional destinations.
“For example, in the New South Wales Highlands, historic mansions have been turned into boutique hotels,” says Slater, who recommends the new regional art gallery Ngununggula.
South Korea
Are you ranked sixth overall in the agility index? and South Korea, which is highly rated for its ability to be dynamic and progressive, was praised early in the pandemic for keeping the number of cases low with an aggressive policy of testing and isolating the infected.
However, as cases hit record numbers, the country continues to move forward with a plan to roll back many restrictions, relying on its mass vaccination rate and ability to manage the hospital system.
Hyesong Ha, an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, said: “South Korea was a ‘success story’ in tackling the COVID-19 outbreak, partly due to previous experience with Sars in 2003 and Mers in 2015. During the pandemic. Researching the most agile governments, Dr.
“Due to the experience and knowledge gained from past policy failures, the Korean government has implemented rapid tests, screenings and treatments and established the KCDC (Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention), an agile organization with professionalism, independence and authority to coordinate the response to the crisis.”
Travel restrictions were a tough but necessary part of their policy, according to Jenny Ly, who writes about travel on the Go Wanderly website. However, he took the opportunity to enter his own country.
“I took the opportunity to find hidden gems that most people might have missed,” she says.
One of her favorite places was Ihwa Mural Village in Seoul, nearly every wall adorned with bright, colorful paintings.
“The village is heaven on earth for any art lover as it is home to many fascinating murals, small art museums and art centers.”
Since April 1, 2022, international travelers will find it easier to visit the country as vaccinated travelers are eligible to be exempted from the mandatory seven-day quarantine by registering their vaccination history online.
Belgium
Ranked 16th in the overall agility index, Belgium’s high performance in the adaptability sub-rank (fourth place) surpassed all its European counterparts.
Its residents pride themselves on their adaptability, a cultural necessity that has led to a multilingual society after history occupied by the Romans, French, Dutch and Germans, and the ability to house its headquarters in the European Union’s capital city, Brussels.
“Belgium is a land of dialogue and agreement, which is inevitable when you have different languages and such a complex political structure,” says Jurga Rubinovaite, co-founder and founder of family travel blog Full Suitcase.
“It’s in our DNA to seek compromise and adapt to changing situations.”
According to Rubinovaite, politicians were open to getting advice, admitting that they didn’t know everything, and learning to adapt from mistakes.
And it’s not just the government that’s adapting: The business world is rapidly changing, Rubinovaite says, with restaurants offering takeaways and food trucks, as well as clothing stores making the move online and museums offering virtual tours.
“Even the monks of Sint-Sixtus Abbey started selling their world-famous (and very hard-to-obtain) Westvleteren beers online during the epidemic,” he says.
It has also seen a major breakthrough in terms of digital technology as cell phone and card payments replace cash and students are given new iPads and laptops to learn.
Almost all restrictions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic in Belgium have been lifted, paving the way for the return of music festivals and Brussels’ biennial flower carpet.
The Royal Antwerp Museum of Fine Arts, home to works by Rubens and Van Eyck, will finally reopen to the public in September 2022, after a 10-year renovation.
Brazil
Brazil was the South American country that ranked best in agility index (23rd) and dynamism capacity (5th).
While residents acknowledge that the government was not initially responding to the pandemic, the healthcare system was able to act quickly and efficiently to vaccinate most of the population, including a close to 100% vaccination rate in São Paulo, the world’s highest city. the country makes it one of the “vaccine capitals” in the world.
With fewer resources than larger economies, the country could not afford a prolonged lockdown, so residents had to do their bit to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
But many believe that not stopping the economy has helped the country come out of the pandemic.
“Brazilians see themselves as survivors, we always find a way to overcome crises,” says Natalie Deduck, co-founder of travel planning company Love and Road.
“In our hearts, we always hope for better days.”
These days, when many restrictions such as mandatory masks are lifted, may finally be near.
Travelers must still present a negative covid test, health claim and proof of vaccination.
Deduck remembers going beyond Brazil’s major cities and the Amazon. According to him, tourists should consider a trip to the south of the country, to coastal cities such as Florianópolis and to the Aparados da Serra National Park, where inns and farm hotels are located.
source: Noticias
