Date: Tuesday, 10 May 2022 Time: 2.00pm – 3.30pm BST (3.00pm – 4.30pm CEST)

On Tuesday, 10 May 2022, the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) and the Coalition for Life-course Immunisation (CLCI) hosted a webinar on the role immunisation can play in getting tourism moving again in a post-COVID Europe.

The event was chaired by Patrick Swain, Coordinator of the CLCI-ILC alliance.

Speakers included:

• Dr Daphné Holt (Chair, CLCI)
• Sophia Dimitriadis (Senior Economist, ILC)
• Professor Mark Doherty (Senior Manager, Global Medical Affairs, GSK)
• Isabel de la Mata (Principal Advisor, Health and Crisis Management, DG SANTE)
• Annagrazia Laura (President, European Network for Accessible Tourism)

COVID-19 has demonstrated the threat posed by infectious diseases: over 5 million people have died and $4 trillion could be lost worldwide due to the pandemic’s impact on tourism. Yet immunisation has played an important role in curbing the pandemic: vaccines have saved 470,000 Europeans aged 60+ and many economies are now recovering.

It’s not just COVID-19 vaccines that protect people’s health and the economy. Previous ILC research has shown that flu vaccination can prevent 245,000 cases in over-65s and save almost £29 million in sick days annually. As over-65s account for 23% of tourism nights spent by EU residents, the European travel sector could benefit the most from routine vaccination and healthier ageing populations.

In this webinar, ILC and CLCI showcased their key research findings on the social and economic benefits of vaccination. We were joined by industry experts who shared their views on how vaccines can help Europe’s tourism industry beyond COVID-19.