Irish tourism chiefs hail EU Covid travel certificate plan

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference on the Commissions response to COVID-19 after a meeting of the College of Commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels. Picture: John Thys, Pool via AP

Irish tourism chiefs have hailed EU plans to unveil a common Covid travel certificate as offering a lifeline to tens of thousands of Irish jobs but any benefits may not come for the beleaguered industry before late summer.

The EU had long been urged by tourism industry chiefs here to agree on a Covid passport as soon as possible to help reopen up travel, relaunch flights and airports across Europe. 

Airlines had warned that the EU was lagging the UK and the US in rolling out vaccines and was also behind in developing a so-called Covid vaccine passport to give people the confidence to book summer flights and holidays.   

The EU said its "digital green certificate" will cover documents from people who have been vaccinated, people who have not been vaccinated but have documents of a negative test result or recovery from Covid, as well as children with test or recovery documents.                                                              

Industry estimates suggest there are many thousands of Irish jobs at risk if international tourism fails to reopen this summer. 

There are around 100,000 people in accommodation and food service receiving pandemic unemployment payments, while more tourism and hotels jobs are on life support with government wage subsidies.  

Eoghan O'Mara Walsh, chief executive of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation - the umbrella group that brings together private and government tourism interests - said the digital certificates were a "lifeline" for the beleaguered industry.

Mr O'Mara Walsh said the EU plan "is the first bit of light" for the industry facing its second year of closure but that any boost will likely only come by September.           

The next steps will be for the EU and the UK to strike a deal to accept each other's certificates and then for the EU to forge a bilateral deal with the US, he said.

Tourism chiefs have highlighted the importance of inbound tourists, with 75% of the spending in Irish tourism relying on foreign visitors which cannot be made good from domestic staycations alone.  

Pat Dawson, head of the Irish Travel Agents Association, described the certificates as "a big initiative" because it is a coordinated effort by EU countries. He said the EU will likely be talking to the US to get people travelling across the Atlantic again.        

The certificates will also boost airlines to relaunch flights into and out of Ireland. "If there are no outbound flights then there are will be no inbound flights," Mr Dawson said, adding that the rollout of vaccines will still play a major role in lifting the tourism industry out of the Covid crisis. 

"It is a plan we can all work on because so many jobs depend on it in Ireland," Mr Dawson said. 

He cautioned about expectations that US visitor numbers would recover quickly because, he said, Americans will have likely made alternative plans for early summer.  

Tim Fenn, chief executive of the Irish Hotels Federation, said the EU initiative offered the prospect of opening up the industry to "welcome overseas visitors to Ireland again”. 

European airline business groups, including those representing Ryanair and Aer Lingus, said the EU-wide certificates were "a key tool to facilitate a safe and efficient resumption of travel and tourism in Europe".

They want all EU governments to implement the plans immediately.. Some European airlines have said they need a summer holiday season if they are to survive after almost a year of Covid restrictions which have stopped travel.