TY - JOUR T1 - World Committee on Tourism Ethics (WCTE) recommendation on COVID-19 certificates for international travel JF - BMJ Global Health JO - BMJ Global Health DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006651 VL - 6 IS - 7 SP - e006651 AU - Hiroaki Matsuura Y1 - 2021/07/01 UR - http://gh.bmj.com/content/6/7/e006651.abstract N2 - Summary boxWHO has not yet endorsed the COVID-19 certificates. However, the European Union, nation states and the airline companies recently introduced, or will soon introduce COVID-19 certificates to open their borders to vaccinated visitors.The World Committee on Tourism Ethics, an independent and impartial body under the aegis of the World Tourism Organization, issued a Recommendation, requesting governments and other entities to implement COVID-19 certificates for international travel in free, universally available and non-discriminatory manner.The recommendation also limits its use and time as well as the provision of vaccines and certificates as a part of international holiday packages.Restarting tourism is a priority for many countries, especially those whose economies rely heavily on revenues generated by international tourism.1 As the pandemic is still ongoing, vaccine certificates are, so far, the only way to revive international travel and other activities. However, there remain considerable ethical and practical challenges facing their implementation.2WHO is reluctant to endorse COVID-19 certificates. Following the most recent meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee explicitly stated its opposition to international travellers being required to provide proof of vaccination.3 The committee urged member states to ‘acknowledge the potential for requiring such certificates’ may ‘deepen inequities and promote differential freedom of movement.’3However, as summer tourist season is approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, there is an urgent need to restart tourism in order to mitigate further harm to the tourism sector, which has been devastated by the pandemic. On 4 May, the G20 Tourism … ER -