With Australia now having reopened its border and New Zealand slowly easing its rules allowing for international visitation, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for those countries still closed to the outside world to lift their travel bans, citing the harm continuance can have from a social, economic and development perspective.
UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, underscored the need to continue to follow WHO advice and to open up again, safely and responsibly, and in the process, allow tourism to deliver on its unique potential as a driver of recovery and growth.
According to the WHO International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee on COVID-19, all measures applied to international travellers should be based on “risk assessments, including testing, isolation and vaccinations.”
Furthermore, the financial burden of such measures should not be placed on travellers themselves.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as countries ease travel restrictions, health must remain the key priority.
“By basing their decisions on evidence and a risk-based approach adapted to their specific context, countries can find the right balance between keeping people safe, protecting livelihoods and the economy, and keeping borders open”, he said.
The two UN agencies also stressed the need for clear and consistent rules relating to health and travel.
Executive Director WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, Dr Michael Ryan, said there is a need for building a global trust architecture for societies and economies in the context of the pandemic.
“There is a real opportunity for tourism to contribute to that process, with UNWTO playing a critical role,” he said.
Both organisations say that properly managed, tourism has the potential to act as a force for development and opportunity, as highlighted in the sector’s enhanced relevance in the wider United Nations development agenda.
Those destinations around the world that have reopened are already reporting increased tourist arrival numbers on the back of easing or removing restrictions, a trend that offers the potential to kickstart economic recovery and put social development progress back on track.
Among the countries to have revised their travel restrictions is Switzerland, one of Europe’s leading destinations, which welcomed the UNWTO delegation at the beginning of a week of key meetings.
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