Tourism, Organisations & Operators,

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has called on the UK government to offer strong leadership to save the struggling tourism sector.
Over 100 major travel and global business leaders – from airlines, airports, hotels, tour operators and travel companies – have backed the unprecedented move.
The industry leaders signed a letter, which called for urgent coordinated action, to UK prime minister Boris Johnson and nine other heads of state.
These include the members of the G7 group of countries, as well as Australia, South Korea and Spain, all of which are major source markets.
If global leaders fail to come together, WTTC anticipates irreversible damage to the tourism sector.

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Furthermore, as the crippling travel restrictions remain in place, the number of jobs losses around the world will continue to increase.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC chief executive, said: “As the tourism sector buckles under mounting pressure, and the global economy struggles to survive, we have to ask – who is in charge of getting us out of this crisis and will lead the world to save the jobs and secure the futures of the many millions of people globally?
“We have reached a stage where critical action is urgently needed.
“While we recognise each country must protect their own citizens and the priority to date has been domestic matters, any measures taken in silos moving forward will only worsen the plight of millions of ordinary people.
“We need to transcend politics and put the millions of livelihoods, which have been affected by Covid-19, front and centre.
“From cabin crew to hotel staff, travel agents to call centre agents, waiters to housekeepers, and many more who are the unsung heroes who depend upon a thriving tourism sector.
“The voices of ordinary people must be heard, and we are calling on them to let world leaders know, in no uncertain terms, that the time for action is now.”
Among those backing the WTTC call were the business leaders of major airlines, such as British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Jet2, WestJet and Virgin Atlantic.
Business leaders from top international hotel groups, such as Accor, Best Western, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, Meliá Hotels and Radisson have also supported the initiative.
Endorsement has also come from major tour operators and travel companies, such as Abercrombie & Kent, American Express, Carlson Wagonlit, Expedia, Travelport, TUI and Uber.
Image:  Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire/PA Images
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The Pacific Asia Travel Association is calling upon all industry stakeholders from both the public and private sector to work more closely together towards the recovery of the travel and tourism industry.
“Covid-19 is the greatest single crisis in the history of travel and tourism.
“Now, more than ever, the industry needs to work together to provide a coordinated, unified and transparent path forward towards recovery.
“A fractured approach will leave our industry forfeiting many issues to health and security authorities, and the implications can be disastrous,” said PATA chief executive, Mario Hardy
He added: “While the current pandemic is first and foremost a public health issue, we must engage stakeholders across all industries and highlight the importance of travel and tourism’s economic contributions to destinations, communities and people, as well as its close links to trade and community development.

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“We must also acknowledge our environmental and social responsibilities, commit to sustainable practices and support every practical measure that seeks to reduce the effects of climate change, while contributing valid and pertinent ideas and activities to assist in the rapid, robust, and responsible renewal of the travel and tourism Industry.”
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, PATA has been in regular discussions with various industry organisations, partners and associations to work towards this the goal.
One such result of these discussions had been the launch of the expanded PATA Crisis Resource Centre, created with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Through consultation with other potential partners, PATA hopes to add further resources that will be useful to organisations as they deal with the current situation.
The expanded CRC provides action-oriented interactive multimedia content that is focused on crisis preparedness, management, and recovery for destinations and other tourism enterprises across the Asia Pacific.
The various public tools available on the site, including the recovery planner, crisis communication kits, and case studies, provide a unified resource for both public and private industry stakeholders to work together in a more coordinated manner.
More Information
For more information about the recovery planner and recovery toolkits available on the Crisis Resource Centre, join destination marketing and crisis management expert Damian Cook for a PATA webinar on ‘Travel Restart: Policy vs Reality’ on Thursday, August 13th at 3:00 PM ICT.
The webinar will examine if the industry has created a genuinely enabling environment for travel to reopen that will work for both travellers and the trade, or has it simply been a process dictated by policy or strategy.
Register for the webinar here.
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ABTA has introduced two new resources to help members understand the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and guide them through what to expect from their holidays.
The move comes as the landscape regarding country access and restrictions looks set to remain complex for the immediate future.
To help members navigate the travel advice revisions for British travellers, ABTA has created a new FCO exempt countries guide which illustrates the various mandatory Covid-19 entry requirements, health checks, and quarantine rules for the countries that are exempt from the global advisory against all but essential travel.
Designed as an easy-to-digest snapshot of the current travel landscape, the guide details the FCO exempt countries in alphabetical order, uses six different icons to illustrate the mandatory destination entry restrictions and sets out whether travellers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempt from quarantine on their return to the UK.
The six icons indicate whether British nationals are currently permitted to enter that country, whether a negative Covid-19 test is required on entry, what quarantine rules and booking information are required on arrival, any transit rules regarding connecting flights, and other restrictions to consider such the rules regarding face coverings and closed borders between neighbouring countries.

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Angela Hills, ABTA head of destinations, said: “In these unique circumstances, it’s important that we continue to support our Members with the required resources to guide them and their customers through the changing travel experience.
“The varying rules, regulations and restrictions for overseas destinations can seem quite complicated, and we hope that these new tools will help our members to answer questions from customers so they can book with confidence and look forward to their holidays.”
The guide is complemented by a new customer information leaflet – entitled “Get ready for travel: customer tips and information for going on holiday or travelling abroad” – which provides handy tips and considerations for anyone who is preparing to travel overseas for either business or leisure, from the research stage through to their return to the UK.
Hosted on the consumer advice page on ABTA’s website, the leaflet includes the importance of reading the FCO’s travel advice pages for their intended destination for the latest Covid-19 related requirements, as well as taking out comprehensive travel insurance and checking that their passport will be valid for their travel dates.
Other new considerations include packing a sufficient supply of face coverings and hand sanitiser for the trip, researching any changes to check-in procedures, meal services onboard flights or new measures in the airport terminal, as well as being aware of local policies regarding social distancing or face coverings once on holiday.
For their return to the UK, holidaymakers are advised that they will need to complete a public health passenger locator form and have an electronic or paper copy on them ready for inspection.
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According to the latest analysis from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, some 40 per cent of all destinations worldwide have now eased the restrictions they placed on international tourism in response to the outbreak. More

The enormous toll of Covid-19 on international tourism has now become clear, with United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) data showing the cost up to May was already three times that of the 2009 global economic crisis.
As the situation continues to evolve, the United Nations agency has provided the first comprehensive insight into the impact of the pandemic, both in tourist numbers and lost revenues, ahead of the upcoming release of up-to-date information on travel restrictions worldwide.
The latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer shows that the near-complete lockdown imposed in response to the pandemic led to a 98 per cent fall in international tourist numbers in May when compared to 2019.
The barometer also shows a 56 per cent year-on-year drop in tourist arrivals between January and May.
This translates into a fall of 300 million tourists and US$320 billion lost in international tourism receipts – more than three times the loss during the crisis 2009.

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UNWTO secretary general, Zurab Pololikashvili, said: “This latest data makes clear the importance of restarting tourism as soon as it is safe to do so.
“The dramatic fall in international tourism places many millions of livelihoods at risk, including in developing countries.
“Governments in every world region have a dual responsibility: to prioritize public health while also protecting jobs and businesses.
“They also need to maintain the spirit of cooperation and solidarity that has defined our response to this shared challenge and refrain from making unilateral decisions that may undermine the trust and confidence we have been working so hard to build.”
At the same time, UNWTO also notes signs of a gradual and cautious change in trend, most notably in the northern hemisphere and particularly following the opening of borders across the Schengen Zone of the European Union on July 1st.
While tourism is slowly returning in some destinations, the UNWTO Confidence Index has dropped to record lows, both for the evaluation of the period January-April 2020, and the prospects for May-August.
Most members of the UNWTO panel of tourism experts expect international tourism to recover by the second half of 2021, followed by those who expect a rebound in the first part of next year.
The group of global experts points to a series of downside risks such as travel restrictions and border shutdowns still in place in most destinations, major outbound markets such as the United States and China being at standstill, safety concerns associated with travel, the resurgence of the virus and risks of new lockdowns or curfews.
Furthermore, concerns over a lack of reliable information and a deteriorating economic environment are indicated as factors weighing on consumer confidence.
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The UK travel industry has welcomed announcements from the department for transport and the CAA that ATOL protection will be extended to cover refund credit notes.
The notes have been issued in place of cash refunds in recent weeks, as the hospitality industry battles a huge backlog of cancellations in the wake of the Covid-19 shutdown.
But there have been questions over their legitimacy.
Package travel regulations require refunds for cancelled holidays to be paid in 14-days.
However, travel companies have argued that, if they adhered to requirements amid wholesale cancellations, most would be put out of business.
Refund credit notes were seen as a compromise, allowing travellers to rebook at a later date.
In a long-awaited decision, the CAA said: “This news will provide clarity to consumers concerned as to whether their money would be secure if they chose to accept a refund credit note from their travel company following a cancellation of their ATOL-protected booking.
“To ensure consumers that hold ATOL-protected bookings retain financial protection, refund credit notes issued in respect of these bookings will benefit from ATOL protection up until September 30th.
“If the consumer chooses a refund credit note, they should have the option to convert it to a cash refund at any point and must do so before September 30th, 2021.”
However, the CAA added consumers are entitled to a cash refund and must be offered this option at the same time as a refund credit note or booking amendment.

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In response to the announcement, an ABTA spokesperson said: “ABTA welcomes the government’s action to back refund credit notes through the ATOL scheme; this gives reassurance to consumers and supports the travel industry at an especially difficult time.
“This development verifies that the ATOL scheme provides protection for cancelled holidays when a refund remains outstanding in the event of a travel organiser’s failure.
“This is the same for non-flight-based package travel with ABTA bonding under the package travel regulations.
“This assurance enables consumers to hold and rely on Refund Credit Notes with confidence, before rebooking a much-needed holiday.”
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