WTTC: 'Blunt blanket travel bans cannot be the answer'

In a statement released on Tuesday (22 December), as around 50 countries worldwide imposed entry restrictions on Britain, WTTC president and chief executive Gloria Guevara said such policies “cannot be the answer”, adding: “They have not worked in the past and they will not work now.”

“If a comprehensive and quick turnaround testing regime were in place at airports across the country to test all travellers before they depart, it would ensure only those infected with Covid-19 are isolated and are prevented from travelling. There would be no need for countries to introduce damaging and counterproductive wholesale bans on UK travellers,” she said.

“People should not be deterred from travelling because they simply can’t find or arrange to get tested at a local testing centre or lab. We need to make it much easier for travellers to get a test prior to their journey.”