Why Tourism Needs to Step Up and Push for Vaccine Equity

Jorge Franganillo  / Flickr Commons

The travel industry must play a role in addressing lagging vaccinations around the world. Jorge Franganillo / Flickr Commons

Skift Take: No vaccine access for all? No tourism recovery. It’s playing out already, with more lives being lost senselessly. The travel industry should act fast and figure out how it can be part of the solution.

— Lebawit Lily Girma

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EU Expands Proposal to Welcome All Vaccinated Travelers to Europe

Skift

Destinations like Amsterdam (pictured) will welcome the news Monday that an EU officials wants to open up the 27-nation bloc to all fully vaccinated travelers.
Skift

Skift Take: The EU wants to expand its lists of travelers from seven permitted countries to all travelers, which, if approved, would be a boon for the tourism industry looking to make up for significant lost ground in the summer of 2021.

— Tom Lowry

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Europe to Open to Vaccinated U.S. Vacationers and 9 Other Top Travel Stories This Week

Steffen Ramsaler  / Flickr.com

Venice on May 23, 2016. Europe is expected to open to vaccinated U.S. travelers this summer. Steffen Ramsaler / Flickr.com

Skift Take: In Skift’s top travel stories this week, we covered Europe’s opening to vaccinated U.S. travelers, luxury travel’s recovery, Amtrak in the limelight, and American Airlines demothballing jets.

— Dennis Schaal

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UK Aims to Restart Some International Travel for Britons by May 17

David Dyson  / Heathrow Airports Ltd.

A view of Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5C, from the airfield on May 2011. David Dyson / Heathrow Airports Ltd.

Skift Take: Britons will have to wait a bit longer to find out where they can travel starting May 17. But it seems likely they’ll have to consider different destinations than their past preferences, given that the UK government seems likely to loosen restrictions for countries with high vaccination rates.

— Sean O’Neill

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Executive Q&A: Lessons From Azerbaijan on Building a Sustainable Tourism Economy During the Pandemic

Skift Take: Azerbaijan has been growing its tourism economy for the last decade, reaching a record-breaking number of international travelers in 2019. Once the pandemic hit, the country’s tourism board realized they could use this time to emerge even stronger, thanks to Azerbaijan’s offerings that are equipped for a post-Covid-19 world.

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UK Prime Minister to Offer New Details for International Travel

Skift

UK Prime Minister will offer details on Monday that could eventually mean this empty corridor at Heathrow Airport will soon seen more travelers looking to go abroad. Skift

Skift Take: Boris Johnson is poised to offer some long-awaited good news for the UK, which has suffered frustrating starts and stops during the pandemic. Vaccine rollouts are turning the story positive.

— Tom Lowry

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