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VST Enterprises , a British technology company , is developing a digital health passport called V-Health Passport . It was launched in April 2020 for passengers and airlines in the U . K . and the company has plans to launch it globally . V-Health Passport was initially created as a solution to help sport teams and international travelers to and from the U . K . to bypass the U . K .’ s travel quarantine by storing a traveler ’ s negative test result or proof of vaccination . It helps users locate the testing centers and also allows users to view their travel and event tickets .
Vaccine passports do have some challenges . The privacy aspect is especially worrisome , as the vaccine passports would store potentially sensitive health data . Accessibility is also an issue , since they will likely be in the form of an app , travelers need a smartphone . And the global adoption and universal recognition of vaccine passports prove to be a hurdle , too . Developing digital credentials that are universally recognized and
SEAN PAVONE / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM accepted could take years . But with all that , there are still many destinations and travel suppliers in favor of vaccine passports . In early February , Scott Kirby , CEO of United Airlines , came out in favor of vaccine passports , saying they could be key in reopening the economy and the travel industry .
Always be insured ? Canceled and rescheduled ( and re-rescheduled ) trips definitely spooked travelers in 2020 . So will including travel insurance in a vacation package be a given going forward ?
Even before the pandemic , some destinations required travelers to have travel insurance in order to visit , like Antarctica , Russia and 26 European countries including France , Italy and Germany . But for many other countries , travel insurance is a personal choice for the traveler and may be added at a higher rate in post-pandemic travel .
In late 2020 , there was a flurry of traveler sentiment surveys being conducted by travel insurers , to help predict the anticipated travel recovery in 2021 . Many of the surveys asked travelers their feelings on travel insurance , including Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection ’ s survey , which found that millennials are more likely to insure their trips . Of millennials in general , 51 % percent said they plan to buy travel insurance in 2021 and 70 % of high-income millennials said they
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