G20 Tourism Ministerial meet: Clear rules and consistent protocol for mobility needed, says WTTC

Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) gave an opening keynote speech at the G20 Tourism Minister’s Meeting, as ministers gathered to discuss the G20 Rome Guidelines for the Future of Tourism.

WTTC said the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on the travel and tourism and that clear rules and a protocol to restart international mobility will be crucial to its long-term sustainable recovery. The association urged that action was needed now to save millions of jobs throughout the sector, which depend upon the immediate resumption of international travel, but that there would not be a sustainable and resilient future, unless there was recovery from the crisis.

Gloria Guevara said: “The guidelines address the importance of sustainability, safe mobility and how we collectively manage future crises while maintaining our resilience and focusing on the digital transition to enable a more seamless travel experience. These priorities are aligned with those of the private sector. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that we are not out of the crisis yet, and urgent action is needed now to save the 62 million jobs lost globally last year, with many millions more still at risk.”

During this important meeting, WTTC highlighted the devasting impact COVID-19 has had on our sector, with its contribution to global GDP dropping a staggering 49.1% last year, compared to the overall global economy which dropped by just 3.7%. Furthermore, this incredibly important sector suffered a loss of almost US$4.5 trillion.

“We need clear rules and agreements amongst countries to safely restore international mobility, which will in turn enable the return of safe international travel and bring back millions of jobs. It will also protect a sector which will be instrumental in powering the global economic recovery,” she added.

WTTC thanked Italy, G20 Chair, for their leadership and for including the private sector in this important platform, as well as acknowledging Saudi Arabia, who held the G20 Presidency in 2020, and recognised the importance of working with the tourism private sector in the declaration.