Representing hundreds of thousands of travel agencies and related businesses around the world, a group of industry associations are calling on government leaders to expedite the lifting of country- and region-specific travel bans.
They are also seeking financial support for those most impacted by government decisions.
The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), the Association of South African Travel Agencies (ASATA), the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), the European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations (ECTAA) and World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA), joined together to make the plea.
"When elected officials make public policy decisions in the interest of public health, those governments have an obligation to provide financial resources to those industries and individuals most affected by their decisions," the groups said in a statement.
"Closing borders and implementing new restrictions affects untold millions of employees in the travel and tourism industry. It also is putting already vulnerable businesses at further risk from ever recovering, while government revenues continue to be eroded due to the loss of economic activity from the industry, which represents one in every ten jobs globally according to the World Travel and Tourism Council."
The groups say recent border closures in response to the Omicron variant have severely impacted an already-complex international travel situation.
"It is critical that government policy is guided by science, not political pressure or the desire to be seen as 'doing something,' since these measures have significant, sometimes irreversible impact on businesses and jobs," the statement added.
The group of associations are asking governments to "take responsibility for their actions by sustaining travel reliant businesses until such time as they lift restrictions and normal travel patterns re-emerge."
They cite Canada as a positive example for pledging support for travel-reliant businesses through May 2022 in the wake of new COVID restrictions and call on other nations to follow its lead.
The associations note that the World Health Organization (WHO) and other public health authorities continue to advise against travel and trade restrictions on countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, saying they are largely ineffective at containing viral spread and have a significant negative economic and social impact.
"Governments around the world must prioritize the global distribution of vaccines while continuing to support the freedom of movement using the scientifically tested and sensible measures - masking, enhanced sanitation protocols, reasonable testing requirements and now, vaccination credentials," the joint statement reads.
It adds that "testing needs to be widely available and affordable, and it is the duty of governments worldwide to provide the resources and support the science-based approach to testing and vaccination requires."
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