The association’s new Global Tourism Crisis Committee on Wednesday (1 April) set out a series of recommendations designed to help governments, the private sector and international community mitigate the “unparalleled social and economic emergency” that is Covid-19.

Its recommendations for “urgent and strong” support include sustaining jobs, supporting at-risk companies, protecting liquidity and ensuring the sector is ready to rebound once the crisis abates.

They must, UNWTO adds, ensure the sector not only recovers from the challenge, but “grows back better”.

“These specific recommendations give countries a checklist of possible measures to help our sector sustain the jobs and support the companies at risk at this very moment,” said UNWTO secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili.

“Mitigating the impact on employment and liquidity, protecting the most vulnerable and preparing for recovery must be our key priorities.

“We still do not know what the full impact of Covid-19 will be on global tourism. However, we must support the sector now while we prepare for it to come back stronger and more sustainable. Recovery plans and programmes for tourism will translate into jobs and economic growth.”

The 23 recommendations, which UNWTO says are the “first comprehensive set of actions governments and private sector actors can take now and in the challenging months ahead”, are broken down into three key areas:

• Managing the crisis and mitigating the impact: Key recommendations relate to retaining jobs, supporting self-employed workers, ensuring liquidity, promoting skills development and reviewing taxes, charges and regulations relating to travel and tourism. The recommendations are made as a global economic recession looks likely. Given its labour-intensive nature, tourism will be hard hit, with millions of jobs at risk, especially those held by women and youths, as well as marginalised groups.
• Providing stimulus and accelerating recovery: This set of recommendations emphasises the importance of providing financial stimulus, including favourable tax policies, lifting travel restrictions as soon as the health emergency allows for it, promoting visa facilitation, boosting marketing and consumer confidence, in order to accelerate recovery. The recommendations also call for tourism to be placed at the centre of national recovery policies and action plans.
• Preparing for tomorrow: Emphasising tourism’s unique ability to lead local and national growth, the recommendations call for greater emphasis to be placed on the sector’s contribution to sustainable development and to build resilience learning from the lessons of the current crisis. The recommendations call on governments and private sector actors to become build preparedness plans, and to use this opportunity to transition to the circular economy.

Pololikashvili added: “For tourism to fulfil its potential to help societies and whole countries recover from this crisis, our response needs to be quick, consistent, united and ambitious.”