Thailand’s prime minister said on Tuesday that he has commissioned a study to look into issuing COVID-19 vaccination certificates for international travellers, as the country seeks to revive a tourism industry battered by coronavirus curbs. Meanwhile, EU is going to propose vaccine certificates in time for summer holidays.
The Southeast Asian nation has been mulling the idea of so-called “vaccine passports”, but no target date has been set and tourism operators have complained about lost revenue.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thailand will proceed with caution, waiting to see how effective vaccines are first in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
“I have already ordered the study so we can be prepared, but it’s also important that we proceed in line with other countries,” Prayuth said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday.
The Southeast Asian nation has been mulling the idea of so-called “vaccine passports”, but no target date has been set and tourism operators have complained about lost revenue.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thailand will proceed with caution, waiting to see how effective vaccines are first in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
“I have already ordered the study so we can be prepared, but it’s also important that we proceed in line with other countries,” Prayuth said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday.
The global vaccine rollout has given hope to the pandemic-hit tourism industry, which makes up about 11% of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
In 2020, Thailand’s tourism revenue slumped to 332 billion baht ($10.94 billion) from 1.91 trillion baht a year earlier, as visitor numbers plunged by 83%.
On the other hand, the European Commission will propose this month an EU-wide digital certificate providing proof of a COVID-19 vaccination that could allow Europeans to travel more freely over the summer.
The EU executive aims to present its plans for a “digital green pass” on March 17 and to cooperate with international organisations to ensure that its system also works beyond the European Union.
The pass would provide proof that a person has been vaccinated, the results of tests for those not yet vaccinated and information on recovery for people who have contracted COVID-19.
“The aim is to gradually enable them to move safely in the European Union or abroad – for work or tourism,” Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet on Monday.
The Commission wants to establish an EU-wide system to prevent separate deals being hatched between EU countries that would fragment its internal market and to avoid finding itself subject to a system set by a third country or by a tech giant.
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said vaccine deliveries would sharply increase in the coming months.
“Vaccine rollouts must follow as well so there are no gaps and no vaccines are left unused,” she told a news conference.
EU leaders agreed last week to work on vaccine certificates, with southern member states such as Spain and Greece particularly keen to unlock tourism this summer.
However, it is not yet clear whether vaccinated people can still transmit the virus to others. Some countries, such as France and Belgium, have also expressed concern that easing travel only for inoculated people would be unfair.
The Commission said it wanted to avoid any discrimination.
EU countries would be free to set their own criteria for entry, although broadly open borders make this a difficult task.