Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

2 0 5 in defining the path for recovery. This is important in order to unify the entire sector and speak with one voice to governments so that we can learn and move ahead together. You have provided a variety of best practice advisories and scenarios. What headline recommendations are you proposing? It is of the utmost importance that we learn from that past. That is why we have identified four ‘Principles of Recovery’ (see box). We have learned from 9/11 the importance of global protocols so that we can rebuild trust from the traveller faster and, in this case, our members took the effort of creating protocols. We started with hospitality and now we have nine different protocols. The idea is that having standardised protocols will help to rebuild travellers’ trust. In 2008, with the financial crisis, we learned the importance of global coordination and public-private collaboration to recover faster. A coordinated approach to remove travel barriers and reopen borders is crucial. In regard to testing, we learned from SARS, MERS and Ebola that travel is possible if we can isolate infected people. Former US president Barack Obama spoke at the WTTC Global Summit in Seville in April 2019 WTTC’s four Principles of Recovery 1. A coordinated approach to re-establish effective operations. Reopen borders – Removal and replacement of any quarantine measures, with possible ‘air corridors’ to countries with similar circumstances (medical, tourism, political). Remove barriers – Eliminate travel advisories and bans on non-essential international travel, which prevent insurance protection cover for travellers. 2. Enhance the existing ‘seamless traveller’ journey experience by adding health components and combining the latest technology, necessary protections and protocols. Before the vaccine – Integrate testing and contact tracing to the key end-to-end traveller journey touchpoints with airports, airlines, hotels, tour operators etc. After the vaccine – Integrate a possible digital health stamp to the traveller information before the trip begins. 3. Adoption of global health and safety protocols defined by the travel and tourism private sector, health experts and public sector to provide assurance to travellers that it is safe to travel again. 4. Continued government support for the sector in terms of scal, liquidity incentives, protection of workers and promotion.

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