ICC, WTTC issue Covid-19 restart guide for travel and tourism sector
Aug 29, 2020
London [UK], Aug 29 : The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) have published a set of recommendations for safely re-opening customer-facing businesses in the age of Covid-19.
The ICC-WTTC guidance is divided into clear categories to help travel and tourism businesses restart their operations safely. From rebuilding trust and confidence with customers to preparing staff returning to workplaces, the guidance provides travel and tourism businesses with a checklist of considerations for reopening.
"With over 150 million travel and tourism jobs lost since the outbreak of Covid-19, more needs to be done to address the challenges faced by these businesses -- many of which are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with limited resources," said ICC Secretary General John W H Denton.
"It is critical for ICC and our global network to engage with travel and tourism businesses as we work together to reinstate consumer confidence, protect employees and safely re-open our economies," he said.
WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said travel and tourism is a highly interconnected sector. "The devastating impact that Covid-19 pandemic is having on businesses across the globe is also causing extraordinary damage outside of the sector, impacting millions of jobs and livelihoods around the world."
The guide provides recommendations for businesses around the world, be they large enterprises or SMEs, to ensure employees are able to return to their place of work safely and are in line with WTTC's safe travel protocols, he said.
During their virtual meeting, the two discussed collaboration on digital platforms aimed at reopening economies and borders for international travel.
Earlier this year, ICC and WTTC co-organised a webinar on the consequences of Covid-19 for SMEs operating within the travel and tourism sector.
