CHRIS GILMOUR: Vaccine passport vital to save travel industry during Covid-19
Iata is trying to establish a so-called ‘travel pass’ that will act as a vaccine passport as well as a first reference point for information for travellers
International travel and tourism was dealt a new blow a few weeks ago by the reaction of many governments wishing to minimise the spread of the so-called “South African” variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, whose correct name is B. 1.351.
The UK and some other European countries banned direct passenger flights to and from SA as did the US more recently. The inbound SA tourist industry was especially hard hit by these actions at a time when it was only just starting to recover from a long period of enforced hibernation. And the local hospitality industry suffered another serious blow with the imposition of bans on beach visits and alcohol in late December, which were only rescinded in early February. ..
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