G7 leaders commit to principles for future international travel

G7 leaders have agreed on seven principles to align their international travel strategies. Photo / 123RF

The travel industry reached a milestone moment on Thursday when G7 leaders unanimously agreed upon seven principles for building a "long-lasting recovery for the international travel sector".

The first summit of its kind, the G7 transport and health meeting gathered ministers from major global economies including the US, Canada, Japan, UK, France, Germany and Italy, to make the pledge.

While no comprehensive plans or steps were set out during the meeting, the agreement from global leaders to align border policies was seen as an achievement within itself.

According to U.K. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, this is only the beginning of the conversation.

Shapps, who chaired the meeting, said in a statement that G7 members were "committed to continuing this dialogue, and to deepening cooperation on facilitating the safe and sustainable reopening of international travel."

The seven principles will help leaders align international travel strategies ad led the development of global standards. The objective is to ensure a sustainable recovery that sets a precedent for policy responses to future issues.

The G7's seven principles:

— Future-proofing the transportation sector against future health threats

— Ensuring the fair treatment and safety of essential transport personnel

—Respecting privacy and data protection in implementing vaccination certification solutions

—Reaffirming the pre-eminence of scientific evidence in planning international travel policy

—Ensuring fairness and equity in respective national responses

—Maintaining regular international and multilateral engagement

—Delivering a safe, sustainable and resilient recovery

In an effort to recover sustainably, G7 members also agreed to prioritise decarbonising transportation and protecting the rights of sector workers.

Currently, unity in vaccination recognition appears to be one of the greatest challenges for nations around the globe.

In response, G7 ministers affirmed the value in sharing information between countries and said continued vaccination and testing for Covid-19 and future infectious diseases would be a key way to mitigate risks.

The G7 (Group of Seven) is a group of the world's largest so-called advanced economies including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States.