The world’s most powerful economies agreed to back plans for so-called vaccine passports, stressing that a resumption of normal activity for the sector is crucial to global economic recovery. The vaccine passport, officially the EU’s digital Green Certificate, will show the bearer has been fully vaccinated, has immunity via recovery, or recently tested negative.
Until community spread is low in tourism-dependent destinations, there is still danger there for all involved. Currently, vaccinations are severely lagging at a global level, particularly in low to middle-income nations. The tourism industry needs to get past the “vaccine tourism” headlines and stand up for the root problem that could decimate the industry all over again: vaccine equity.
Small island destinations are particularly vulnerable to climate change, natural disasters, and external economic shocks. A newly published paper titled ‘Small Islands, Large Oceans: Voices on the Frontlines of Climate Change’ looks at how a ‘blue economy’ approach is needed: protecting ocean resources by linking their sustainable use with economic growth.
The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights called attention to a new tourism project by the Indonesian Government. The country aims to create an enormous tourism complex in Mandalika, Lombok. The experts criticised the project’s abuse of human rights and highlighted that the project had destroyed houses, fields, water sources and cultural and religious sites.
More than 100 countries, international organisations and leading business groups have agreed to adopt harmonised standards for assisting tourists caught up in emergency situations. This also includes a set of recommendations relating to providing tourists with information, assistance and, if necessary, repatriation. The aim is to help to restore confidence in international travel after the pandemic.
Edinburgh is set to become the first city in Scotland to introduce a tourist tax after the Scottish government granted powers to local authorities to introduce visitor charges.
