Five major associations in the global tourism industry are calling on government leaders around the world to collectively formulate and implement measures that will provide a clear way forward for the safe resumption of international travel.
The call has come from the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) along with the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations (ECTAA). They collectively represent hundreds of thousands of people who work at travel agencies and related businesses around the world.
“Given its clear impact on the global economy, an expedited recovery of cross-border travel is critical. ASTA, ABTA, ACTA, CHTA and ECTAA call on government leaders around the world to create an aligned and synchronised response by 1) expeditiously developing clear vaccine and testing standards; 2) loosening entry restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers; and 3) providing the needed economic relief to the travel agency sector suffering for too long the bitter consequences of travel’s hard-stop brought on by the pandemic,” they urged in a press release. “The value of and need for travel advisors and agents in today’s world, given the intense complexity of travel, is vital now more than ever as consumers around the world attempt to recover from this pandemic with certainty and confidence.”
