Most people who are traveling now won’t change their travel patterns due to the presence of Covid-19 vaccines, according to a new J.D. Power study.
The survey queried 1,500 people who traveled through U.S. airports Feb. 3 to Feb. 10.
Among the respondents, 40% said vaccines won’t impact their travel plans because they will travel just as much as they had before the vaccine was developed. Another 29% said they won’t travel as often as in the past and that the existence of vaccines hasn’t changed that decision.
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Still, 30% of respondents did say the vaccines have impacted their travel expectations, allowing them to travel more than they had previously planned.
Covid vaccine passports
J.D. Power also asked respondents if they would approve of the creation of digital vaccine passports. Sixty-five percent answered that yes, proofs of vaccination that are linked digitally to a traveler are a good idea. However, only approximately half of those said such digital passports should be required for travel, as opposed to being optional.
Another 19% of respondents said digital passports should not be introduced, while the remaining 18% said they are a bad idea, but if introduced should be optional.
Covid entry requirements
Thus far, no country has begun requiring proof-of-vaccination for entry. And countries around the world also have not yet begun accepting vaccination proofs in lieu of other entry requirements, such as negative Covid-19 test results or quarantines — though such steps are anticipated eventually.
Airlines and the greater travel industry say that a global rollout of digital health passports, which can document both vaccinations and negative test results, are essential for a smooth reintroduction of mass international travel.