The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has cautioned governments around the world that further country-wide border closures could greatly affect global economic recovery. The council is urging authorities to cautiously approach and introduce localized measures, only when necessary.
This would avoid blanket restrictions, prevent delays in economic recovery, and not damage the already affected tourism sector. WTTC will support the opening of the city to city ‘air corridors’ between global financial centers, such as London and Frankfurt and New York. This would help restart business travel and economic recovery.
Many governments are considering reintroducing new rigid ‘anti-travel’ measures since various countries are experiencing local coronavirus spike
According to the latest statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the US, the worldwide Covid-19 death toll has passed 606,000, with confirmed coronavirus cases now surpassing more than 14.5 million.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC president, said: “Governments should not close off access to other countries in their entirety. Only regional border measures should be imposed if essential so that the recovery of a country’s whole economy is not jeopardized in the future. The establishment of ‘air corridors’ between financial centers where infection levels are low, such as between London and New York, would provide a vital boost to business travel and aid the economic recovery.”
“Enforcing country-wide restrictions is a blunt instrument which benefits no one; neither travelers, the local population, the economy, or the tourism sector which has been left reeling from the impact of worldwide travel restrictions. Such measures could undo the significant efforts to revive tourism, which has recently shown encouraging signs of emerging from the worst of the pandemic, and which in turn has brought hope to millions of people around the world who depend upon the sector for their livelihoods.”
“We urge governments to consider only local lockdowns as the key to opening the door to a successful way forward,” she added.
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