Tourism, Organisations & Operators,

Associations from across the travel industry came together earlier to discuss how they can continue working together to lobby government on the need for specific support to save jobs and businesses in the travel industry, following the coronavirus crisis.
ABTA, Advantage Travel Partnership, AITO, ATAS, the BTA, the SPAA and UKinbound met via video conference to discuss shared objectives such as regionalising quarantine, introducing testing and ongoing salary and grant support schemes.
The associations agreed to increase coordination, and the combination of efforts ahead of the Budget this autumn – with regular meetings to exchange insight and knowledge and undertake joint activities to try to secure the targeted support the industry desperately needs.
Recent research from ABTA, who convened the meeting, revealed that 39,000 jobs have already been lost or are at risk in the industry.
Many more are in the pipeline as 78 per cent of companies are yet to start redundancy consultations but expect to in the coming months.

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Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at ABTA, said: “The entire travel industry is going through a period of uncertainty and challenge like it has never seen before.
“It is our job as travel associations to make the case for our industry.
“We must come together to highlight the vital strategic importance of travel for the wider UK economy, as businesses that underpin the country’s aviation connectivity, and support inward investment and export earnings.
“Alongside championing the importance of the sector, we must also offer Ministers practical and workable solutions to problems facing the leisure and business travel sectors.”
ABTA originally launched the Save Future Travel campaign in April which saw over 25,000 emails sent to MPs asking them to support the industry.
The coalition partners will be looking to build on that platform, as well as engaging with other industry campaigns, and the Future Aviation Group, a group of MPs from across the political spectrum that is supported by ABTA, the AOA, Airlines UK, and other bodies in the aviation sector, to raise awareness in parliament of the need for tailored support.
The group is looking to involve other interested travel trade bodies and associations, and any organisations that are interested in getting involved are invited to contact ABTA.
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The United States economy stands to lose a total of $155 billion this year due to the collapse of international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to latest research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council.
The trade body finds steep declines in the number of travellers visiting the country due to the poor handling of the pandemic could result in international visitor spending dropping by a 79 per cent.
This loss to the American economy equates to a shortfall of $425 million a day.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC chief executive, said: “The economic pain and suffering caused to millions of households across the United States, who are dependent upon tourism for their livelihoods, is evident from our latest shocking figures.
“The lack of international visitors to the US due to the pandemic could wipe out more than $155 billion from the US economy alone – a loss of $425 million a day – from which it may take years to recover.”

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The harsh impact on United States tourism is laid bare by WTTC as the economic fallout from coronavirus continues to burn its way through the sector.
Nearly 12.1 million jobs in the country are at risk of being lost in a ‘worst case’ scenario mapped out by WTTC economic modelling.
“We urgently need to replace blanket quarantine measures with rapid, comprehensive and cost-effective test and trace programmes at departure points across the country,” said Guevara.
“This investment will be significantly less than the impact of blunt quarantines which have devastating and far-reaching socio-economic consequences.
“The recent $750 million deal with Abbott labs for $5 rapid test is very promising in this respect, and we hope that it allows the United States to continue to reopen and can prove as a blueprint for a way forward for other countries.
“Targeted test and tracing will help rebuild consumer confidence to travel.”
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As much as £22 billion looks set to be lost from the UK economy due to the collapse of international travel during 2020, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
Travellers and tourists are staying away from the UK in droves because of “continuing uncertainty” around travel restrictions designed to curb the spread of Covid-19.
As a result, this year international visitor spending could plunge by 78 per cent compared to 2019 levels, equating to a loss of £60 million a day, or £420 million a week, to the UK economy.
The severe impact on UK tourism is laid bare by WTTC as the economic fallout from coronavirus continues to burn its way through the sector.
Nearly three million jobs in the UK supported by tourism are at risk of being lost in a ‘worst case’ scenario mapped out by WTTC economic modelling.

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However, figures from ABTA suggest a total of 39,000 jobs have been lost, or are at risk, to date.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC chief executive, said: “The economic pain and suffering caused to millions of households across the UK, who are dependent upon tourism for their livelihoods, is evident from the latest WTTC figures.
“The lack of international travel caused by the pandemic could wipe out more than £22 billion from the UK economy alone – a loss of £60 million pounds a day – from which it could take years to recover.”
She added: “We urgently need to replace stop-start quarantine measures with rapid, comprehensive and cost-effective test and trace programmes at departure points across the country.
“This investment will be significantly less than the impact of blunt quarantines which have devastating and far-reaching socio-economic consequences.
“Targeted test and tracing will also rebuild consumer confidence to travel.
“It will enable the restoration of vital ‘air corridors’ between countries and regions with similar Covid-19 case rates.”
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The Pacific Asia Travel Association has announced the launch of the PATA Destination Insight Series, in partnership with BBC World News.
This webinar series will take a close look at various destinations around the Asia Pacific region and beyond and examine how each destination is dealing with the impact of Covid-19 and their preparations towards recovery.
The webinar consists of a high-level fireside chat with a BBC presenter followed by a panel discussion that will help to provide a 360° local perspective of each destinations’ on-ground activities and preparations, from operations and logistics to marketing and communications.
“As the travel and tourism industry looks to navigate the challenges of the current Covid-19 pandemic towards recovery, the PATA Destination Insight Series allows us to gain a better and more comprehensive understanding of various destinations and how we can work together towards this goal,” said PATA chief executive, Mario Hardy.
“I am excited to be working with our good friend and partners at the BBC to organise these webinars.

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“Hopefully by hearing from our fellow stakeholders around the region, we can have a better grasp of how we can work towards the robust and responsible renewal of the travel and tourism Industry.”
The first episode of the series, launching today, will focus on Azerbaijan, a country with rich culture, ancient heritage, amazing nature and warm hospitality.
Florian Sengstschmid, chief executive of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, will sit down with Rajan Datar, presenter of the Travel Show, for a one-on-one interview to discuss the current status of travel and tourism in Azerbaijan and their plans for recovery.
More Information
For more information about the webinar or to register, visit the official website
Future episodes of the PATA Destination Insight Series will be organised on the second Thursday of every month, with the next one scheduled for September 10th.
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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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