The WTTC is urging authorities to introduce localised Covid-19 measures “and only when necessary”.

“This would avoid blanket restrictions, prevent stalling the fragile economic recovery and not cripple the already bruised and battered travel and tourism sector.”

The WTTC also supports the opening of city-to-city air corridors between global financial centres, such as London, Frankfurt and New York to help restart business travel.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC president and chief executive, said: “Governments should not close off access to other countries in their entirety. Only regional border measures should be imposed if essential, so that the recovery of a country’s whole economy is not jeopardised in future. 

“Enforcing country-wide restrictions is a blunt instrument which benefits no one; neither travellers, the local population, the economy or the travel and tourism sector which has been left reeling from the impact of worldwide travel restrictions.”

The WTTC’s 2020 Economic Impact Report shows that during 2019 the sector supported 330 million jobs - one in 10 jobs of all jobs - and contributed 10.3% to global GDP.