As more people are immunized against the coronavirus, so-called vaccine passports would make it safer for people to travel, said Glenn Fogel, the CEO of travel company Booking Holdings.
“I’m not sure why people still object, in terms of making it safer for people to travel,” Fogel said in an interview on CNBC’s “The Exchange.”
The Biden government has indicated that it wants to establish a system for providing documentation of a person’s vaccination status that will make it easier to determine who is protected from the virus and who is not, but it is unclear how this will turn out . Several airlines have also expressed support for documenting vaccinations.
However, there are critics of vaccine passports for a number of reasons, ranging from privacy concerns to scientific reasons to equality issues.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said vaccinated people have a “low risk” of traveling.
Fogel said he would like to see vaccinated people travel again.
“The industry has been so devastated, travel has been so hurt by this terrible, tragic crisis, and we need everything that can help [the travel industry] goes and allows people to travel because [the vaccines] are absolutely proven to be safe. “
Booking Holdings owns brands such as Kayak, Agoda, Booking.com, Priceline.com and OpenTable.
‘The idea of a Covid passport stating that you have been fully vaccinated [means] you are a safe traveler, you can go places other people may not be allowed to go, ”said Fogel.
On Monday, the company offered a $ 50 post-trip credit to travelers who booked a trip in late May and are traveling before the year is over. The company also still offers more flexibility to cancel travel plans if necessary. The promotion is intended to encourage people to book summer trips.
“We are also seeing prices start to rise, which is of course the assumption of demand, so I continue to argue for [people to] go out, see what you want, go get it now, ”said Fogel.
Rising vaccination coverage will also help. Since distribution of the coronavirus vaccine began in December, more than 165 million doses have been administered to humans in the United States, according to the CDC.
For now, Americans may feel more comfortable traveling within the US because of several Covid restrictions, he said. According to a Booking.com survey, 69% of people said they would rather travel closer to home in the near future.
“There will not be much international travel,” he said. “In terms of people staying close to home, there is certainly still that feeling of insecurity and wanting to be close to home, but I think that will spread and as people feel safer to travel, they will go on longer journeys to make. “
Shares of Booking Holdings closed at 1.1% Monday to $ 2,409.18.