British holidaymakers should be allowed to fly abroad using paper proof of their coronavirus vaccinations, the boss of the world's biggest travel firm revealed today.
Campaigners fear some elderly people hoping to travel overseas could be deterred by the need to show evidence of an inoculation on mobile smart phones, which they are less likely to use.
TUI managing director Andrew Flintham called for an "easy digital and both paper-based version that allows people to get through borders easily".
He told the BBC: "There is clearly still a digital divide, some people are very digital, some people are less so – clearly you don't want to exclude anybody from that. But from operations and a border perspective, the more automated you can make it the better it will be."
Hailing the EU's move to create a "vaccine passport", he added: "It's a really important step the EU has taken, I know the the UK Government is doing exactly the same.
"What we clearly need as an industry – but certainly is TUI – is the most inclusive travel that we can have. The Government aim through the roadmap is to open up society and clearly travel is a part of that. We really need as many tools and vehicles for us to be able to open up travel.
"A certification of travel that includes the vaccine is absolutely key, but also includes people holding data around their tests."
Silver Voices director Dennis Reed said: “We would oppose any vaccine passport system largely based on smart phone apps, as this would exclude the majority of senior citizens.
"When we surveyed our members last autumn on the NHS Test and Trace app, 68% had not downloaded the app, most because they did not have a modern smartphone or did not know how to download the app.
"There are also serious privacy and security worries. The development of paper-based passports must be given equal priority with digital versions."
Labour peer Lord George Foulkes, who chairs Parliament's cross-party group on ageing and older people, said: "Older people are getting increasingly marginalised as more of our life becomes digital.
"Some older people are digital whizz kids but many find it increasingly difficult to keep up and are losing out. It would be unfair if older people were denied a foreign holiday by making the vaccine certificate digital only. A paper option must be available and accepted."
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