(Illustrative photo)

Now something called a “vaccine passport,” certification that a person has had two coronavirus vaccine shots, could revive travel between destinations that accept it. If the vaccine passport is widely accepted, it will reopen international flights and restore tourism. The Vietnamese government has asked ministries and sectors to study the idea, and Vietnamese travel companies are hoping it will thaw the ice in their sector. Businesses understand that the vaccine passport must be strictly administered to ensure public safety.

Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Marketing and Communications Director of Saigontourist, said, “Saigontourist and other tourism companies are hopeful that international travel will resume. Administrative agencies should make sure vaccine passports are implemented carefully and piloted in smaller markets to evaluate the results.”  

Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Deputy Director of Viettravel, said hospitality and tourism staff should be vaccinated before the vaccine passport is implemented, and they should be trained on pandemic prevention.

“Thailand is fine tuning its vaccine passport procedures. They have strict regulations for tourist reception at airports and hotels,” said Hoang.

There is a lot of work for the tourist sector to do to implement the vaccine passport. Added to other prevention measures, the vaccine passport might finally allow tourism to rebound.