More than 100 CEO’s and WTTC call on 10 world leaders to save tourism

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) made an urgent call to the Heads of State of the G7 plus three (Spain, Australia and South Korea) to coordinate to save the tourism sector and the global economy, to which the Government of Spain responded decisively to lead this initiative.
For the first time, more than 100 Presidents and CEOs and global leaders of the travel and tourism industry from around the world (from airlines, airports, hotels, tour operators and travel companies, among others), signed a letter from WTTC, aimed at the members of the G7, as well as the governments of Spain, Australia and South Korea (which together form the 10 most relevant source markets for global tourism), so that coordinated global actions are urgently established in favor of of the sector.
“This is an unprecedented crisis that requires unprecedented support and leadership. We are convinced that global leaders can rescue and move the world forward from this crisis, acting in an effective and coordinated manner, which will allow us to recover more than 120 million jobs and affected lives. We make a call to work together and to commit to executing the same measures in a coordinated manner, ”said Gloria Guevara Manzo, President and CEO of the WTTC, representing the CEOs of the world tourism sector.
“We urge the Heads of State of these ten nations to convene a global COVID-19 summit, to define a plan and unify measures with the aim of restoring tourism and travel. An action plan is necessary that has a positive and immediate impact for the benefit of the millions of people who depend on our sector. The World Travel and Tourism Council, its leaders and the entire global private sector are committed to working together to solve the worst crisis of our generation, ”said Guevara Manzo.
The WTTC letter was signed by the presidents of companies such as British Airways, Emirates, Iberia, Etihad, Jet2, WestJet and Virgin Atlantic; Accor, Best Western, Hilton, Hyatt, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, Meliá Hotels, Palladium Hotel Group, Ifema, Europamundo, Room Hotels & Be Mate, Hotelbeds, Radisson Hotel Group, Iberostar, City Sightseeing Worldwide, Abercrombie & Kent, American Express, Carlson Wagonlit, Expedia, Travelport, TUI AG, and Uber, among many others.
The request for global coordination is mainly focused on four areas:
1) Use of mandatory masks in all means of transport and enclosures or closed spaces in which it is not possible to respect the physical distance.
2) Invest in fast, effective, inexpensive PCR tests with results in less than 90 minutes to be applied in a coordinated way before an international trip and coordinated in the registry of contacts that is consistent and unified. Quick and reliable testing before departure will help ensure healthy travelers travel smoothly.
3) Quarantine or isolation only for positive cases, replace the generalized quarantines by nationality with isolates only for positive cases from infected people and in some cases apply a second examination after five days if necessary.
4) Strengthen the implementation of global protocols and standard measures that will help restore the confidence of travelers and offer greater certainty.
The Government of Spain responded and offered to lead this initiative, which “must have an impact beyond the 10 key markets they have identified, and involve other relevant countries, including EU member states and Asian countries” . In addition, it appointed the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González, to lead the Spanish contribution.
“We fully share your concern about the situation in the sector, which, as you know, represents more than 14% of GDP and almost 13% of jobs in our country (Spain),” he stressed.
The WTTC broadly acknowledges the prompt response of President Sánchez and considers that the timely action of the international community will save the tourism sector, which is essential for the global economic recovery process.