Airlines such as easyJet saw outbound bookings from Britain surge last week as the government raised the prospect of a return to quarantine-free summer travel, and the European Union agreed to develop vaccine passports under pressure from tourism-dependent southern countries. But cooped-up consumers’ getaway plans face reality checks – from unpredictable virus variants to lingering EU divisions over vaccine passports, with France leading resistance from several states over political and discrimination concerns. In the aftermath of Britain’s departure from the EU, its reputedly unruly tourists are at the centre of a battered travel industry’s summer hopes. “The trend now is towards what’s likely to be open,” said Toby Kelly, CEO of UK travel agency Trailfinders, pointing to a “massive pickup in demand” to Greek destinations. “All airports would have queues out the door.”Even after the EU go-ahead at a February 25 summit, ambivalence among governments like France, Germany and Belgium could hamper vaccine passports’ deployment.

Source: Egypt Independent March 05, 2021 13:41 UTC