We were discussing the effects of COVID-19 vaccine on future travel. But the question is how long will it take to vaccinate eligible individuals who want to travel in the immediate future? In this context, Vaccination passports, in progress, may be required for travel, according to industry experts. Just like a passport is mandatory to travel abroad, a vaccination passport, be it digital or otherwise, is doing the rounds. Providing the proof of vaccination, organizations such as Mayo Clinic, Salesforce and Microsoft have already joined the bandwagon of creating the Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI), which is working to create a digital COVID-19 vaccination passport.

Experts tell that the process entails making a flight reservation in the usual manner, and at the point of check-in, passengers will be required to undergo a physical check of a digital passport that may either be an app or a physical document with a QR code on it, or something similar that allows passengers to proceed with their trip. Today, bookings are based on two important criteria: number of COVID cases and the rate of vaccination. Different parts of the world have different vaccination rates. For example, New Zealand is turning out to be a popular destination for travel due to the high rate of vaccination post-pandemic. 

India, being a highly populous country, has a low vaccination rate, and therefore foreign tourist arrivals in India is at an all-time low.  Only 2.4% of population in India has been fully vaccinated, according to public data released by the Government of India (at the time of writing this post). Vaccine shortage in most parts of the regions highly affected by the pandemic has also contributed to the low vaccination rate.

To conclude, experts feel that travellers may feel at ease and travel with a greater peace of mind to destinations with higher vaccination rates. With the vaccination distribution underway in India, the future of tourism poses a lot of questions.