Republic of Ireland has announced the adoption of the EU’s new Digital Covid Certificate. This will enable more seamless travel for tourists and will be extended to vaccinated visitors from outside of the EU, including the GCC countries, and will allow certain travellers to visit the island. Republic of Ireland will begin the scheme on 19 July, meaning that travellers with the approved vaccinations will then be able to visit Ireland without the need for a test or quarantining.
Tourism Ireland and the tourism industry have been actively planning for the restart of international travel. The organisation is now ready to roll out a significant promotional kick-start campaign to entice and welcome back international visitors. The tourism industry has been preparing to ensure visitors will have a great holiday on the island of Ireland in 2021. The health and safety of all visitors will be a priority, but the island is sure to still bring a very warm Irish welcome and a great holiday experience.
Approved vaccinations which will be accepted for travel to Republic of Ireland includes 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNtech Vaccine (regarded as fully vaccinated after 7 days since second dose); 2 doses of Moderna Vaccine (regarded as fully vaccinated after 14 days since second dose); 2 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine (regarded as fully vaccinated after 15 days since second dose); 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Vaccine (regarded as fully vaccinated after 14 days since second dose).
Travellers from the GCC will be able to travel to Republic of Ireland provided they have received the full course of any one of these approved vaccinations. These rules apply to Republic of Ireland only and excludes Northern Ireland which will be subject to the UK government requirements.
Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “Today’s announcement is an extremely welcome and important step on the road to recovery for our industry in Ireland and our trade partners overseas. This will help protect thousands of jobs and livelihoods across the Irish tourism industry. For the first time in many months, we can look to the future with optimism.
“We know from our research that there is significant pent-up demand among travellers in our overseas markets to return to Ireland as soon as possible. However, we also know that there will be significant competition in the marketplace; every destination across the globe has experienced the impact of Covid-19 and will be seeking their share of the recovery. Our kick-start campaign will punch through the noise and create an immediate desire to visit.