UK Travel Advisors Advocating for Vaccine Passport

What a difference a big body of water makes, hey?

Where in America a vaccine passport is seen by some as more of an impediment to travel than a help, travel companies in Great Britain are urging the government to introduce vaccine passports as a way to speed the process out of lockdown.

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The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, saying “We know that it is too early to put a specific date on the return of international travel and that there will be a need for flexibility in the approach, but what we need are some principles for restarting travel – recognising that the return to normal life will never be entirely risk free.”

COVID-19 has ruptured the travel agent industry overseas as much as it has in the U.S., where ASTA predicts that 77 percent of travel advisor companies won’t survive the pandemic unless it receives more federal aid.

ABTA CEO Mark Tanzer said in a blog post that he believes the option of a voluntary vaccine certificate should be on the table, calling it a “real incentive to get people traveling.” But he also hedged on his statement when he said, “While I strongly believe that being vaccinated, and having evidence of it that is recognised internationally, must be part of the solution to reopening travel – it cannot be the only route. There need to be other ways, such as a practical and cost-effective testing regime, to allow those who are yet to be vaccinated to travel.”

Mike Gooley, CEO of the British travel agency Trailfinders, backed Tanzer, saying, “It’s hard to comprehend the lack of enthusiasm for a vaccine passport. We must harness the power of our immunisation programme to restore liberties and boost economies both at home and abroad. Far better to let a growing number of the vaccinated have a fuller life right now, rather than delay until we all can.”