WTTC calls EU against reimposing quarantines on British travellers
Jun 26, 2021
London [UK], June 26 : The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has urged against European Union (EU) states reimposing quarantine measures on arriving British holidaymakers.
"With more than 60 per cent of British adults now fully vaccinated, they should be able to enjoy quarantine-free travel to the EU," said Virginia Messina, WTTC Senior Vice President.
"Quarantines are not the most effective measure to curb the spread of Covid-19 and there is no need to reintroduce them especially given the increasing vaccination rates across Europe," she said.
Messina said imposing an EU-wide quarantine will extinguish any hopes of bringing back significant summer travel, which is a critical season for most European markets.
This will significantly damage these countries' economies like Germany where the UK is the fourth largest source market.
"It will also deal a significant economic blow to countries like Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Malta where the UK is also the biggest source market -- and Italy -- where quarantines have recently returned for inbound British travellers," she said.
According to WTTC, the travel and tourism sector contributed 10.4 per cent to global GDP in 2019, a share which decreased to 5.5 per cent in 2020 due to ongoing restrictions to mobility.
In 2020, 62 million jobs were lost, representing a drop of 18.5 per cent, leaving just 272 million employed across the sector globally, compared to 334 million in 2019.
