We are seeing a definite trend with our loyal travelers. Those that are 65 and over and have received the vaccine are starting to make travel plans for the summer and fall. The tourism industry, battered by the pandemic, is now getting a much-needed boost from this new surge. A COVID vaccine isn’t necessary to travel out-of-state or for international travel since the vaccination isn’t readily available yet, but it will no doubt make international travel easier in the coming months.
At some point there will likely be a way that digitally, you could provide an airline, cruise line or hotel health information include a negative COVID test or if you have been vaccinated. The current issue is that there is not 1 set platform that would work for every country. There are also concerns on how personal data would be protected, and what about travelers who do not have cell phones. IATA announced it’s in the final stage of developing a digitalized “Travel Pass” that would help support the reopening of international borders. The app would include the following:
- List of country-specific entry requirements for travelers
- Location of nearest testing centers
- Lab results from authorized testing centers
- Passenger-specific health information including vaccine status and Covid test results
JetBlue is preparing to use a similar app, CommonPass, developed by the nonprofit Commons Project and the World Economic Forum, on flights to Aruba starting this month.
- Hawaii appears to be the first state to implement a vaccine passport program. They are partnering with CLEAR Health pass. In the coming months fully vaccinated travelers would get an electronic code that would allow them to travel throughout the state.
- Cypress announce back in December that they would be open to anyone coming from countries on their “safe list” who had been fully vaccinated without a quarantine. They are also waiving the requirement to have a negative COVID test for them as well.
- Estonia is waiving its quarantine requirement as long as they have been fully vaccinated from 1 of the 9 approved manufacturers.
- Iceland was among the first countries to issue COVID-19 vaccination certificates that will allow people to skip the mandatory quarantine when they arrive. As of May 1st fully vaccinated travelers from the EU can skip quarantine when they arrive in Iceland and will not be required to submit a negative PCR test. They have yet to advise if this would apply to those traveling from the U.S.
- All travelers arriving in Romania from accepted countries who have been fully vaccinated from COVID are exempt from quarantining upon arrival.
- With proof of vaccine, travelers can visit Poland without having to do the standard 10 day quarantine.
- Travelers from all over the world who have been vaccinated are welcomed in the Seychelles. They do still require a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of travel.
The Caribbean Islands & Mexico continue to be the easiest places for U.S. travelers currently, but hopefully by summer this list will be more extensive. The continued challenge is how soon will the vaccine be available to all who want it and not just those over 65.
Keep in mind that there is still a requirement in place to have a negative COVID test within 72 hours of coming back into the U.S. so make sure you are staying at a hotel that has testing available. We compiled a list you can browse of Caribbean & Mexico hotels offering COVID testing.
