Travel restrictions have had a severe impact on people and on economies globally. They have not however, stopped the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The global body of airlines – IATA recently stressed the need for the removal of all travel barriers (including quarantine and testing) for those fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine.
It suggested accelerating the easing of travel restrictions in recognition that travellers pose no greater risk for Covid-19 spread than already exists in the general population.
Assuming fewer restrictions on travellers, particularly the vaccinated, IATA expects overall traveller numbers to reach 4bn in 2024, exceeding pre-Covid-19 levels (103% of the 2019 total).
“People want to travel. And when travel restrictions are lifted, they return to the skies. There is still a long way to go to reach a normal state of affairs, but the forecast for the evolution in passenger numbers gives good reason to be optimistic,” noted Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.
A recent IATA survey of travel restrictions for the world’s top 50 air travel markets (comprising 92% of global demand in 2019 as measured by revenue passenger kilometres) revealed the growing access available to vaccinated travellers.
Some 18 markets (comprising about 20% of 2019 demand) are open to vaccinated travellers without quarantine or pre-departure testing requirements.
As many as 28 markets are open to vaccinated travellers without quarantine requirements (including the 18 markets noted above). This comprises about 50% of 2019 demand.
And some 37 markets (comprising about 60% of 2019 demand) are open to vaccinated travellers under varying conditions (18 having no restrictions, others requiring testing or quarantine or both).
The biggest and most immediate drivers of passenger numbers are the restrictions that governments place on travel. Fortunately, more governments have understood that travel restrictions have little to no long-term impact on the spread of a virus.
And the economic and social hardship caused for very limited benefit is simply no longer acceptable in a growing number of markets. As a result, the progressive removal of restrictions is giving a much-needed boost to the prospects for travel.
“Momentum toward normalising traffic is growing. Vaccinated travellers have the potential to travel much more extensively with fewer hassles than even a few weeks ago. This is giving growing numbers of travellers the confidence to buy tickets.
“And that is good news! Now, we need to further accelerate the removal of travel restrictions. While recent progress is impressive, the world remains far from 2019 levels of connectivity. Thirteen of the top 50 travel markets still do not provide easy access to all vaccinated travellers. That includes major economies too,” said Walsh.
Certainly, it is time for removal of travel restrictions as we learn to live and travel in a world that will have risks of Covid-19 for the foreseeable future. This means putting a stop to the singling out of the travelling population for special measures.
In nearly all cases, travellers don’t bring any more risk to a market than is already there. Many governments have recognised this already and removed restrictions. But many more countries need to follow.