With international travel scheduled to resume mid-May, assuming all goes to plan with the government’s roadmap to lift Covid restrictions, some form of vaccination certificate appears increasingly likely.
In Episode 15 of the BTN Europe podcast, we continue our discussion around digital health or vaccine passports and whether they are a solution to reopen locked international borders. However, we hear how we need standardisation, but it is unlikely that we will consolidate to a single solution, just as we use different payment methods such as MasterCard, Visa, Google Pay and Apple Pay, but use a single terminal.
One of the concerns is that a solution needs to be scalable when the travel industry gets back to larger volumes of travellers and that trust and security of health data are paramount. Venues and commercial organisations may stop short of requiring vaccination because of the negative publicity, but they may offer fast-track entry to those who do. However, countries may well say if you are not vaccinated you are not coming in!
We discuss how we’ll need a multi-layered approach involving both health passports and testing, looking at the pros and cons of centralised systems versus those that just sit on your phone. When will all this happen? The optimists are saying September this year but it may be many years before we have a fully global interconnected system for digital health passports. Listen to find out more.
And for business travel updates on the go, be sure to check and follow YourCast – our brand new podcast for all things business travel. Search Gray Dawes YourCast wherever you get your podcast of click on the following links:
To help you navigate the changes of business travel, we’ve created the brand-new Traveller Toolkit. This invaluable online resource is packed full of easy-to-use guides and checklists for every stage of every journey. We detail exactly what you need to know and do before, during and after your trip.
You’ll also find innovative and interactive virtual trips, which walk you through each step of being at the airport, on the train and in the hotel. You can even check the travel restrictions and health status of your destination with our comprehensive COVID-19 Country Tracker, updated five times daily to ensure you have the very latest information to help keep you and your travellers safe.
Travel is changing. But with common sense and a good TMC behind you, travellers should have the confidence to once again take to the skies. It’ll soon be business as (un)usual.