Business travel took a massive hit in 2020 as COVID-19 led to travel restrictions, border closures and lockdowns. Many companies introduced complete travel bans for their employees, while others opted for essential travel only – with layers of approval in place and an increased focus on duty of care. “As the vaccine becomes more available worldwide, there are positive signs that corporate travel could return to some semblance of ‘normality’,” says Oz Desai, GM Corporate Traveller. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline trade association representing 290 airlines worldwide, recently said that it was in the final stages of developing a digital health passport for travellers. The IATA Travel Pass will let travellers share their vaccination status and COVID-19 test results with airlines and border authorities via a contactless passport app. The idea behind this passport is that those who are not vaccinated may have to undergo COVID testing or face quarantine when they travel internationally, while those who are vaccinated have less barriers to entry. Once the vaccine becomes accessible to everyone worldwide, a digital health passport could bring much-needed reassurance and freedom for business and leisure travellers alike, explains Desai. It holds the potential to solve the confusion around different travel requirements for different countries. However, this will not necessarily mean that corporate travel will be ‘the same’ as before, and we can expect several significant changes. ‘Touchless travel’ is likely to become the standard, according to Desai. He says: “Many traveller suppliers have already embraced contactless technology to…
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