The head of G Adventures is urging travel counsellors and people in the trade to stop using the term “vaccine passport.” Bruce Poon Tip says the generic term for a document that shows official two-dose status of having received the COVID-19 vaccine is simply a political term that does a disservice to promoting travel at time when many people need encouragement to do so.

Speaking at the Toronto-based tour company’s ‘Special Agent G’ travel agent symposium last week, Poon Tip acknowledged, “I know it (‘vaccine passport’) is everywhere… I know everyone is talking about it,” but he also observed that the term is being used by governments and has become a lightning rod over civil liberties, which is an ugly association that does not help travel.

A better term, he says, is “proof of vaccination.”

“(The travel trade) has to educate the public about feeling safe about travelling again… and you know in the travel industry, we have had proof of vaccination since the dawn of time in travel. We have to have proof of vaccination in many countries we travel to now – and this is no different. They’ve politicized it to call it a vaccine passport – but stop calling it that!

“You will need proof of vaccination (to travel) when it comes out and just use that term – and get rid of politicized term of ‘vaccine passport,’ which is giving light to people who are equating it to liberties and freedom and all this BS. We have to get away from that, we have to be rational, we have to be the leaders and the light of the industry.

“You have to sit down with your customer and say, ‘proof of vaccination has existed since travel started in the mid ‘50s.’ You know when you go to Africa you have to have yellow fever (shots), the yellow book; there’s meningitis, there’s tetanus … This also goes for school: You know when your kid goes to school, they can’t go if they’re not vaccinated. This is no different. People are trying to make it something that it is not.”

Poon Tip agrees that proof of vaccination will be a very important element of restarting travel as the travel industry evolves to meet post-pandemic needs and governments strive to achieve global standards for the document. As such, he says, it’s critical to get the name right!