Tag: Julia Simpson

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “WTTC welcomes the government’s decision to scrap testing for those who are fully vaccinated travelling to England. “There is no longer any need for testing, and we urge Ministers across the UK and countries around the world, to follow England’s lead and allow the fully vaccinated to travel freely. “After a gruelling 18 months for the UK Travel & Tourism sector, this will provide a massive boost to businesses up and down the country. “We hope it will also see the end of the unnecessary passenger locator forms.”

A new analysis of staff shortages by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global private Travel & Tourism sector, reveals the sector realized a U.S. labor shortfall of almost 700,000 workers during 2021. According to the report, the outlook for 2022 is only slightly more positive, with approximately 480,000 direct* U.S. Travel & Tourism jobs, or one in 13 positions, predicted to go unfilled next year. The figures from WTTC, produced in partnership with Oxford Economics, for the first time analyzed staff shortages across the U.S. and other major Travel & Tourism markets including the UK, ... Read more

The Glasgow Declaration recognizes the urgent need for a globally consistent plan for climate action in tourism. Signatories commit to measure, decarbonize, regenerate and unlock finance. Additionally, each signatory commits to deliver a concrete climate action plan, or updated plan, within 12 months of signing. Speaking at COP26, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili stressed that “while many private businesses have led the way in advancing climate action, a more ambitious sector-wide approach is needed to ensure tourism accelerates climate action in a meaningful way”. He added that “the Glasgow Declaration is a tool to help bridge the gap between good intentions ... Read more

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “It is great news that the U.S. will reopen its borders to fully-vaccinated travellers from the UK and EU from Nov 8. It has been a long time coming, but the Travel & Tourism businesses on both sides of the Atlantic will be breathing a sigh of relief. “Visitors from the EU and the UK contributed more than $46 billion to the U.S economy in 2019, showing just how critical this move will be to the U.S recovery. “WTTC believe governments should axe red lists completely, and instead base the risk on individuals ... Read more

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “Protecting public health must remain the priority and WTTC strongly supports safety protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19. However, the EU’s recommendation to reimpose restrictions on U.S. travellers is a step backwards and will only slow down the recovery of the sector. “With high vaccination levels in both the U.S. and the EU, we should be looking at opening up travel between these two major economies. We need a common set of rules that recognise global vaccines and remove the need to quarantine for people with a negative COVID result. “The U.S. ... Read more

A sign reading “Sorry, closed due to Covid-19” on the glass door of the cafe The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today warned the UK government that with the furlough scheme coming to an end, it has just 30 days left to save travel businesses which are struggling to survive. WTTC also warns that unless international travel opens up more widely, with simplified controls, the UK is facing a loss of £59.4 billion. Hundreds of thousands of employees in the Travel & Tourism sector are still benefiting from the furlough scheme, the UK government scheme which is due to ... Read more