Madrid, Spain – Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has participated in the first Global Tourism Crisis Committee meeting in 2021.
Organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the meeting held in Madrid saw solid plans to restart tourism, including the integration of vaccines to boost confidence in the sector through various coordinated efforts.
Members discussed pre and post-vaccine cross-border travel. With countries around the world now rolling out vaccines against the COVID-19 virus, the Committee explored options for making vaccines just one part of a harmomized approach to safe travel, looking into ways to introduce health certificates and travel passes among others.
The rollout of vaccines is a step in the right direction, but the restart of tourism cannot wait.
Zurab Pololikashvili
“Vaccines must be part of a wider, coordinated approach that includes certificates and passes for safe cross-border travel. In the longer-term, we also need to restore confidence in tourism. The United for Travel campaign will help us achieve this, providing a clear and strong message that safe tourism is now possible.” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili during the meeting.
UNWTO Secretary-General Pololikashvili also announced plans for the launch of a new global campaign aimed at restoring confidence in international travel and tourism. The initiative, United for Travel, will be launched soon and will unite governments, international organizations, destinations and businesses behind a common message.
A new global travel and tourism crisis system was also proposed during the meeting. The proposed System for International Travel and Tourism Emergencies (SITE) will be established from experiences and data collected since the beginning of the pandemic.
Tourism numbers have been above expectations recently, with Minister Mausoom, in an interview to CNBC International stating that even though 2021 will be challenging, we will see a very promising year ahead.
