WTTC president and chief executive Julia Simpson said moves by the likes of the UK, US, Japan, India and several major EU member states to reintroduce pre-departure testing for arrivals from China were "a step backwards" for the global travel and tourism sector.
The restrictions come despite missives to the contrary from the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), with both organisations highlighting the failure of travel curbs to guard against the virus mutating and the import of new variants.
Last week, the EU member states stopped short of agreeing blanket restrictions on arrivals from China, but agreed a series of recommendations including the return of pre-departure testing, a call for those travellers between China and the EU to wear masks, and random Covid testing.
The backlash has been led by Iata and Airports Council International, and was latterly supported by Airlines for Europe, which said the recommendations were "at odds" with the stance of the ECDC.
A4E added the interventions were unlikely to impact the epidemiological situation in Europe where the same variants as in China are circulating and where there is far greater levels of immunity to Covid compared with China through vaccination and natural immunity from infection.
China has threatened to impose reciprocal measures on countries that enforce curbs on outbound travellers from China.
‘Have we learned nothing?’
"After nearly three years, it is great news that China is finally opening up," said Simpson. "Chinese visitors around the world contributed US $253 billion to the global economy in 2019, creating jobs and boosting regional economies. The recovery of the Chinese travel and tourism sector is very welcome.
"Introducing knee-jerk travel restrictions shows governments have learned nothing about the behaviour of this virus and continue to ignore the World Health Organization’s advice that border restrictions do not stop the virus mutating or moving around the globe.
"The reintroduction of ineffective Covid testing to Chinese travellers is a step backwards for the global travel and tourism sector.”
