Mr.

Micheal Martin TD
An Taoiseach
Department of An Taoiseach Members
Merrion Street Upper
Dublin 2 DO2 R583 Abbey Group
Advantage ICO
Adams & Butler
A Touch of Ireland
Alainn Tours
January 15th 2021
Brack Tours
Brendan Vacations (The Travel
Corporation Group)
CIE Tours
Ref. Vaccine Roll-Out & EU Safe Travel Passport Custom Ireland
Celtic Horizon Tours
Dear Taoiseach, Eirebus DMC
EI Travel Group
As we face into another very uncertain and challenging year for the country Event Partners
and for Irish Tourism, I am writing to ask you and the Government to take a Excursions Ireland
pro-active approach to re-opening the country to international tourism, when Hello Ireland Tours(HIT)
the time is right. Irish Education Partners
Irish Rugby Tours
We fully appreciate and support the Governments actions in protecting public Tour Partners
health to-date and particularly at this time. We know that it may be some Joe O’Reilly Tours Ltd.
Joe Walsh Tours
months before we can realistically expect the re-opening of tourism and
JAC Travel
hospitality businesses. And this will take an even greater toll on businesses
Limerick Travel Ltd.
in tourism and aviation that have borne the greatest impact of the pandemic.
Moloney & Kelly Travel
So every possible support will be needed to get us to the recovery stage. Odyssey International
Ovation DMC
Vaccine roll-out is key to re-opening the economy and we, like all of our Premier Travel
colleagues across tourism, are anxious to understand the key milestones in the RIT Travel
vaccination timetable that will enable the re-opening of our sector and bring Specialized Travel Services
much needed confidence to the consumer. Shamrocker Adventures
Wallace Travel Group
Of particular importance to Irish Tourism and ITOA, given that 75% of our Vagabond Tours
revenue is from inbound visitors and 100% of our members businesses is
reliant on overseas high value customers, is the return to safe air travel. We
know that Ireland has committed to the EU Traffic Light Travel system which Partner Representative Groups
correctly provides a pan-European approach to travel and tourism.
AIPCO – Assoc. Irish
We understand that you will join fellow EU leaders in a meeting next week Professional Conference Assoc
and that an agenda item will be to consider vaccine travel passports. It is IGTOA – Irish Golf Tour
critical that we take a proactive approach to this now, so that we are ready to Operator Assoc
implement an agreed solution and give further confidence to consumers to
plan and return to international travel as soon as is practical and safe to do so.

PO Box 65, Bray, Co. Wicklow T (01) 2861113 ITOA – Member of

E-mail : info@itoa-ireland.com www.itoa-ireland.com ITIC- Irish Tourism Industry
Confederation
Incoming Tour Operators Association Ireland Reg Office; LMD,
163 Lower Kimmage Road Dublin 6W Ref No.127179
 We would urge you to take the lead in supporting the updating of this
system to incorporate and have additional clarity on:

a) Clear guidance for people who have been vaccinated and what that
means in terms of easing their ability to travel both in a European and
third country perspective.
b) A COVID vaccine passport / agreed system to be implemented. This
being either digital or paper that could also show PCR/rapid test
results for the purpose of travel pre-departure.
c) EU agreement on population vaccination coverage per centages as to
when rapid testing replaces the requirement for PCR testing.

Rapid testing options must be considered as a matter of urgency to replace

PCR. There are ongoing improvements being achieved in the accuracy of
rapid test options and as greater numbers are vaccinated, particularly in the
high-risk categories, we believe that rapid testing should be the accepted
future option.

Taoiseach, certainty is the key pillar of business and its ability to plan
particularly at this time of survival and to enable future recovery. We know
that much uncertainty remains but that the roll-out of vaccines will provide us
with the opportunity to take back control in this regard.

Public health first and foremost is key and the health of our nation is critical
to our future economic well-being. This year we must take a more pro-active
approach to planning and in that the need to retain flexibility is understood
but is nonetheless the most important aspect to saving livelihoods, jobs and
businesses.

We trust that you will take on board our request and suggested approach in
taking the EU Traffic Light travel system to a new level and support the future
of Irelands aviation and tourism sectors.

Yours sincerely,

Ruth Andrews
Chief Executive

C.C. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar

Minister Catherine Martin
Minister Eamon Ryan
Minister Hildegarde Naughton

PO Box 65, Bray, Co. Wicklow T (01) 2861113

E-mail : info@itoa-ireland.com www.itoa-ireland.com

Incoming Tour Operators Association Ireland Reg Office; LMD,

163 Lower Kimmage Road Dublin 6W Ref No.127179