The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for the lifting of travel bans “as they do not provide added value and continue to contribute to economic and social stress.” The two U.N. agencies announced on Thursday, February 24, an agreement to collaborate on a global trust architecture for recovery of the travel sector.
Over recent days, a growing number of countries around the world have started easing their rules for international arrivals, including the easing of travel bans (these include the likes of Australia, New Zealand, India, the Philippines, Israel, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Switzerland, Canada and others). These decisions are in line with WHO’s latest recommendations for safe international mobility, which highlight the ineffectiveness of blanket restrictions in controlling virus transmissions. Such a trend is also consistent with UNWTO’s repeated warnings of the great social, economic and development harm of restrictions.
In Geneva, the leaders of UNWTO and WHO agreed on the importance of easing or lifting travel bans. Instead, blanket restrictions should be replaced with risk -based, evidence- informed, context-specific policies. According to the WHO International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on COVID-19, all measures applied to international travelers should be based on “risk assessments—including testing, isolation and vaccinations.” Further, the financial burden of such measures should not be placed on travelers themselves.
Building a Global Trust Architecture
The two U.N. agencies also stressed the need for clear and consistent rules relating to health and travel. There is a need for building a global trust architecture for societies and economies in the context of the pandemic, and there is a “real opportunity for tourism to contribute to that process, with UNWTO playing a critical role,” said Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director WHO’s Health Emergencies Program.
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. To note: Destinations around the world have reported increased tourist arrival numbers on the back of easing or removing restrictions. This trend offers the potential to kickstart economic recovery and put social development progress back on track.
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