The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC, for its acronym in English) revealed that international travel has fallen 65 percent, while domestically it has decreased by 33 percent, due to the negative effects of the COVID pandemic. -19 globally.
“For this reason, coordinated work between businessmen and authorities is essential, allowing us to get ahead of this crisis. The recovery of tourism activity demands an unprecedented global cooperation, which allows a safe and coordinated reactivation ”, said Gloria Guevara Manzo, President and CEO of the WTTC, during her participation in the virtual fair ASONAHORES 2020, organized by the Hotel Association and Tourism of the Dominican Republic, and detailed that, to date, 142.6 million jobs have been lost globally.
“An unprecedented crisis requires unprecedented collaboration, which is why we have proposed to the G20 a recovery plan for 100 million jobs, through commitments made by private initiative and governments, which allow the safe recovery of jobs. travel and tourism ”, he highlighted.
She said that the WTTC promotes four global principles for recovery: a coordinated international approach, including the reopening of borders, the removal of barriers and the establishment of air bridges; conducting rapid tests to detect the virus; the adoption of health, hygiene and safety protocols with international standards, and the use of masks; and finally, government incentives and support for the sector.
Guevara Manzo recognized the actions taken by the Dominican Republic to adopt global safety and hygiene protocols, as well as the issuance of free medical insurance for all tourists entering the country.
The Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, David Collado, highlighted the importance of nations having health protocols that guarantee the safety of tourists and service providers.
He said that his country is at the forefront in the region, since all tourists who visit the Dominican Republic have free medical insurance to protect their health. “We are ready to receive international tourists,” he said.
On the occasion, Paola Rainiri de Díaz, President of Asonahores, stressed that teamwork between the public and government sectors is essential. “We need to be more united than ever to move our sector forward in this crisis, which represents the opportunity to unite to face the challenges,” he said.
During 2019, the travel and tourism sector generated almost 3 million jobs in the Caribbean region. In the case of the Dominican Republic, tourism represents 16.3 percent of the economy and contributes 17.3 percent of jobs, with an average of 6 million international visitors each year, even before the pandemic.
According to the WTTC Economic Impact Report, during 2019 the travel and tourism sector was responsible for one in 10 jobs in the world (330 million in total), with a contribution of 10.3% to world GDP and generating one in four of all the new jobs.
