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Mutual recognition of vaccine passports may help restore tourism — UN official

Zurab Pololikashvili emphasized that "the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization calls for inclusive and non-discriminatory tourism, the tourism industry’s recovery should not harm these fundamental principles"

MADRID, November 29. /TASS/. The mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccine passports by Russia and the European Union would help the tourism industry recover, the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili said in an interview with TASS.

When asked if Russia and the EU would facilitate the recovery of the tourism industry by mutually recognizing vaccine passports, the UNWTO secretary general pointed out that they "undoubtedly" would. "The easing of travel restrictions for vaccinated travelers and the recognition of various vaccines would help increase consumer trust in traveling," Pololikashvili added.

He emphasized that "the UNWTO calls for inclusive and non-discriminatory tourism, the tourism industry’s recovery should not harm these fundamental principles." "Vaccination is crucial for a solution aimed at safely restoring the tourism industry," the UN official noted. "Vaccines should only be part of a major joint action plan that also includes arrival and departure tests, digital passes and other things." "A year and a half into the pandemic, we cannot make the same mistakes again," Pololikashvili added.

"It’s always necessary to maintain coordination [between countries]," he said. "We should learn to live amid the pandemic, introducing safety protocols and finding technology solutions," the UNWTO secretary general explained.

"Investment in the [tourism] sector and efforts to facilitate innovation are a key priority in terms of both responding to the pandemic and ensuring the stable and affordable global tourism in the future," Pololikashvili stressed. "Soon after the crisis broke out, the UNWTO convened the Global Tourism Crisis Committee to bring together governments, the heads of state and private companies and international organizations in order to develop effective common response measures," he specified.

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