Canary Islands to pioneer 'digital health passport'

Canarian company Hi+Card has been selected by the UNWTO for the project, and will pilot the app in July allowing passengers to create a unique health data profile on their smartphones that stores their medical records.

The UNWTO said users will be able to travel safely, traceably and with data immutability and believes the app could help reopen skies and borders amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Canaries will serve as the destination for the first flight, the island’s regional tourism minister Yaiza Castilla and general secretary of the UNWTO Zurab Pololikashvili have confirmed.

It comes after the Canary Islands committed to becoming a "global laboratory" for redesigning tourism security protocols, testing them, and then sharing them with other destinations.