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Call for Action to Mitigate the Socio-Economic Impact of the COVID-19 and speed up the recovery

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international entities linked to tourism, have prepared a document with which they want to call for action from citizens at the global level to contribute to the mitigation of the impact of COVID 19 on the world economy and, especially, on tourism. In this sense, the document emphasizes that the priority now is health and containment of the pandemic, highlighting the solidarity initiatives of the sector to help alleviate the pandemic. But beyond the medical contingency, the document highlights the fact that a global recession is looming, with the loss of millions of jobs, and that the travel and tourism sector will be particularly affected.

It is therefore this threatened sector that needs urgent support and specific mitigation packages to sustain employment and ensure market capacity in the immediate wake of the emergency. The report stresses that this vulnerability of the tourism sector also places it in a unique position to contribute to the broader recovery plans and measures to be taken.

“Around the world, tourism provides development opportunities and promotes solidarity and understanding across borders, while domestic tourism also helps to foster cohesion within nations. In addition, the sector plays a key role in mobilizing efforts to preserve and promote natural and cultural heritage and has long been at the forefront of environmental protection,” he notes. That is why the report calls not only for support for the sector but also for reflection on its reorganization in order to grow again and to grow in a way that is better for the planet and for people, in line with sustainable tourism as set out in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDA) outlined in Agenda 2030.

“If managed responsibly, tourism can emerge from the current crisis as a sector capable of contributing even more to the ODS, providing a livelihood and creating opportunities for millions of people around the world, leaving no one behind. To this end, the WHO includes a series of recommendations to mitigate the impact of the crisis, ensure the recovery of tourism and enable the sector to help drive the recovery of society.

Download the report