WTTC commends global tourism industry for helping during COVID-19

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has praised the global tourism industry for lending crucial help to combat the global Coronavirus pandemic.

The huge thank you from World Travel and Tourism Council President and Chief Executive Gloria Guevara was made on behalf of travel companies throughout the globe’s private sector.

Millions of people employed by WTTC member companies large and small have volunteered their time and expertise, many putting their own lives on the line, to provide essential help to their beleaguered communities with relief efforts.

This has ranged from furloughed airline cabin crew being deployed to help in hospitals, to operating additional flights for medical cargo, luxury hotels opening their doors to provide free rooms to healthcare workers or helping with grocery shopping and running errands for the elderly self-isolating.

Guevara advised “WTTC wants to pay tribute to the millions of amazing Coronavirus heroes throughout the global Travel and Tourism sector for selflessly going the extra mile to help their communities to overcome and combat the COVID-19 pandemic threat.

“We recognise their quiet heroism and phenomenal dedication through using their incredible people skills developed during their normal working lives and wealth of experience to step up and offer essential help and assistance to those on the front line fighting this terrible virus.

“Whether its tending to the sick, opening hotels for health workers or manning foodbanks, they, like countless others have risen to the challenge and shown with their hearts and actions that we are stronger together and we will win this battle.”

Like many other industries, the tourism sector has faced near collapse and a battle for survival due to the extensive travel restrictions and lockdowns ordered by governments across the world to stop the spread of the pandemic.

Latest WTTC research reveals up to 75 million tourism sector jobs are at risk globally.

According to WTTC’S 2020 Economic Impact Report, during 2019, global tourism supported one in 10 jobs (330 million), making a 10.3% contribution to global GDP and generating one in four of all new jobs.

For further information, please go to wttc.org

Image: Five-star Centara Grand at CentralWorld in Bangkok commenced hosting doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff from the Police Hospital on 1st April 2020 and will continue to do so until the situation improves. 

Medical staff are at the forefront of effort to protect the wellbeing of all people, often working extremely long hours and travelling long distances to and from the hospitals in which they are working. Centara’s core idea behind the project is to save the time and energy of medical staff as much as possible by offering convenient access to food and accommodation so that they can return to work as refreshed and recharged as possible.   

Centara Hotels and Resorts Chief Executive, Thirayuth Chirathivat advised “Centara Hotels & Hotels is here to support medical staff in any way we can.”