Today the G7 Cornwall Summit begins and although the agenda is very broad, some topics that may affect the global operation of the tourism market will be included. There will surely be announcements about cross-border restrictions, vaccine distribution, caring for the environment, and economic cooperation.
Days ago, IATA has asked government leaders attending the summit to take a data-driven approach to decisions related to lifting travel restrictions between countries.
“Data can and should drive policies to restart global travel that manage COVID-19 risks to protect populations, revive livelihoods and boost economies. We call on the G7 governments meeting later this month to agree on the use of data to safely plan and coordinate the return of the freedom to travel that is so important to people, livelihoods and communities. companies, ”said Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA.
“Many governments continue to demand universal quarantine, whether it is run by hotels or self-managed. This impedes freedom of movement, discourages international travel, and destroys employment in the travel and tourism sector. UK data tells us that we can and must do better. Almost 98% of those detained due to universal quarantine measures tested negative for the virus. We now have over a year of global data that can help governments make more specific decisions about international travel. This can keep the risk of importing COVID-19 cases low, including variants of concern, while restarting international travel with a minimal violation of the ability to lead a normal work and social life.
IATA partnered with Airbus and Boeing to demonstrate potential methodologies to manage COVID-19 risks to keep populations safe while global connectivity restarts. Aviation, including manufacturers, effectively manages and mitigates risks every day to keep air travel safe. Using these skills, Airbus and Boeing have developed data-driven risk management models to understand the impact of various options.
European travel and tourism industry associations call on Member States to approve the Commission's proposal to start removing travel restrictions in the EU in a coordinated way. After months of blockades and a mosaic of measures across the continent, this proposal is very timely. In view of the rapid advancement of vaccination programs and the improvement of the epidemiological outlook in Europe, safe travel is possible this summer, driven by the strong desire of European citizens to travel again and ensured by the willingness of our sector to provide safe and responsible travel.
“Travel and tourism industry associations enthusiastically welcome this important initiative towards a coordinated lifting of travel restrictions in Europe. This is a fundamental step in restoring the confidence of travelers and reopening Europe. We believe that the European Commission has played its role, the industry is ready to ensure safe and responsible travel: we now need Member States to act quickly, ”they declared in a statement.
The World Travel and Tourism Council has called on Boris Johnson and the G7 Heads of State to lead a coordinated response to restart international travel safely, which it says will be critical to global economic and social recovery.
The WTTC, which represents the global private sector, made the request in an open letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, chairman of the G7 group of nations in 2021, just days before leaders meet at Carbis Bay in Cornwall. .
The letter laid out the critical role that the G7 must play in driving real change and saving the global travel and tourism sector by safely restoring international travel and mobility through three key actions.
The first is to put travel and tourism at the center of all government decisions globally, recognizing their economic and social importance and committing to a stronger global public-private partnership.
Second, commit to implementing a consistent framework to safely reopen international travel, using digital health tests, health and hygiene protocols, and travel passes to ensure a safe and seamless flow of people.
Finally, reopen international borders between countries with similar successful vaccination implementations and low levels of infection, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. This move would unlock both inbound and outbound travel and provide a significant boost to both economies, based on clear and consistent metrics and following a data-driven approach.
Virginia Messina, Senior Vice President and Acting Executive Director of WTTC, said: “With the global travel and tourism sector hanging by a thread, Boris Johnson is uniquely positioned to lead the G7 response to restart international travel and save millions. of jobs and livelihoods that depend on a prosperous sector.
“The situation is critical, so we must put travel and tourism at the center of all government decisions globally and agree on a coherent framework to reopen international borders.
“The risks of not doing so are enormous. In the G7 countries alone, the sector represents 5.11% of the total economy and almost one in 10 of all jobs globally (9.07%). If we don't save on international travel, we simply won't achieve global socio-economic recovery.
“However, we can and must seize the opportunity provided by the enormous success of the implementation of vaccination to remove travel restrictions and build bridges, not walls, which will allow the safe and free movement of people who are fully vaccinated. or they may present evidence of a negative test. .
"We urge the government of Boris Johnson, who led the world by administering the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and the other G7 leaders to take this courageous step and save a sector that will be crucial to saving their economies."
In the letter to Boris Johnson, WTTC said that the travel and tourism sector will play a key role in achieving the G7 political priorities set by his presidency.
The world tourism body said that we will not achieve global recovery unless international mobility resumes and helps recover millions of jobs in the economy; Allow free and fair trade to flourish again. Travel and tourism will also play a key role in improving our preparedness and resilience against future pandemics, as well as fighting climate change.
According to the latest WTTC Economic Impact Report (EIR), in 2019, Travel and Tourism contributed to 10.4% of global GDP and created more than 330 million jobs, that is, one in ten jobs in all the world.
Yet after a year of global lockdowns and closed borders, some 62 million travel and tourism jobs have been lost worldwide, and many more are at risk, and the sector's contribution to global GDP has plummeted at 4.5 trillion US dollars (-49.1%).