Context: Recently, the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania started what is being referred to as a ‘travel bubble’ to help put their economies back on track post-Covid lockdowns.
Key Points

• The three European Union (EU) states, who have launched this measure, have so far remained comparatively unscathed by the virus, recording less than 150 combined Covid-19 deaths as of May 17.
• All three are sparsely populated (Lithuania- 28 lakh, Latvia- 19.2 lakh, Estonia- 13.3 lakh people) and have been fairly successful at managing the outbreak.
• In the Estonia-Latvia-Lithuania travel bubble, residents would be able to travel freely by rail, air and sea without quarantine measures.

About Travel bubble

• Creating a travel bubble involves reconnecting countries or states which have shown a good level of success in containing the Covid-19 pandemic domestically.
• Such a bubble would allow the members of the group to restart trade ties with each other and open travel and tourism.

Process to allow Travel Bubble

• In the Estonia-Latvia-Lithuania travel bubble, residents would be able to travel freely by rail, air, and sea without quarantine measures.
• Those wanting to enter this corridor from countries outside would first have to go into isolation for 14 days.
• To be able to freely travel in the zone, one should not have travelled outside the three countries in the past 14 days, should not be infected with coronavirus, and should not have come in contact with anyone who has been coronavirus infected.

Its Potential across the Globe

• Potential travel bubbles among better-performing countries around the world would account for around 35 per cent of the global GDP. 
• Such arrangements are especially being favoured by smaller countries, who are likely to benefit after being able to trade again with larger partners.

Other Countries to Start

• Australia and New Zealand reached an agreement to form a travel bubble, once it becomes safe to operate flights between them. Once it opens, the trans-Tasman zone (around Tasman Sea) will allow travel without a quarantine period.
• China and South Korea have launched a fast track channel for business travellers.
• In the USA, travel bubbles are being suggested to group states who are doing well against the pandemic.

About Trans-Tasman Zone

• Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement is an arrangement between Australia and New Zealand which allows for the free movement of citizens of one of these countries to the other. 
• The arrangement came into effect in 1973 and allows citizens of each country to reside and work in the other country, with some restrictions.

Difference between Baltic countries and Balkan countries?
Baltic Countries: The geographic term used for three sovereign states: Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Region gets its name because the region is surrounding the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is a unique territory inhabited by non-Slavic natives as well as ethnic Slavs. Mainly Slavic people. Peoples speak languages belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European linguistic family and are commonly known as Balts. Animals that inhabit the region are elk, boar, roe deer, wolves, hares, and badgers. The region produced the world's earliest known gold treasure and had sophisticated beliefs about afterlife. Climate of Baltic region is very cold in winter. It is found in Northern Europe.
Balkan Countries: The geographic term used for ten sovereign states: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains. It is a unique territory inhabited by South Slavs who form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Montenegro. Mainly Nordic people. Region has a very diverse ethno-linguistic region. The Bulgarians, Macedonians, and Slovenes speak their own Slavic languages, while the Slavs of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro all speak dialects of Serbo-Croatian. Region provides habitats for numerous endemic species, including extraordinarily abundant insects and reptiles that serve as food for a variety of birds of prey and rare vultures. Region in Europe was the first to experience the arrival of farming cultures in the Neolithic era. Climate of Balkan region is hot in summer. It is found in Southern Europe.