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The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has
called for action to safeguard the health of the travel and
tourism economy in light of continued
travel disruption caused by
volcanic ash. It is time for governments to step in as it has done
in previous natural crises.
“While public safety must be paramount,
decisions must not be made lightly as they can have serious impact
on the US$5,751 billion travel and tourism economy,” said WTTC
President & CEO Jean-Claude Baumgarten. “Although it represents
9.2% of world GDP and employs 235 million people worldwide, its
influence on nearly every facet of our lives is rarely appreciated
by governments until a crisis occurs. A co-ordinated approach to
assessing the situation and implementing recovery measures is
crucial for the sake of travellers and business alike.”
“We believe fairer attention must be given to
the aviation industry, which was just beginning to find its feet
again after the affects of 9/11 and economic recession, and is now
facing the double whammy of loss of business coupled with
compensation costs for stranded passengers. It is still too early
to assess the full economic impact of the problem, but without
action – and soon – to reopen airspace, there will be serious
implications for all sectors of travel and tourism.”
WTTC Members – including airlines, hotels and
tour operators – are already doing their utmost to get travellers
where they need to be. Recent crises – 9/11, SARS, Swine and Avian
flu, tsunamis, earthquakes and now the volcanic ash cloud – have
all impacted the travel and tourism economy over the last decade.
However legislation that could help the industry recover its
losses is controlled through many different places and sometimes
restricts trade rather than benefits it. Governments must now intervene as the financial
burden of the current crisis is too great for the private sector
to bear.
“It is time for governments and organisations
such as the United Nations, European Commission, G8 and G20, to
re-examine the way policies that affect global travel and tourism
are co-ordinated and implemented.” An important step forward, said Baumgarten, would be the introduction of centralised air traffic
control for the whole of Europe, which could reduce the need for
blanket bans on flights in the future.
WTTC is urging the world’s leaders to attend its
10th annual Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Beijing, China from
25-27 May 2010.
“Now is the perfect time for leaders of government
to come to the table with the leaders of private-sector organisations and gain a greater understanding of the industry and
the issues that affect it. Participation in discussions would
demonstrate government appreciation of the importance of travel
and tourism, and could significantly enhance the industry’s ability to
drive economic prosperity.”
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