The representative bodies of travel agents throughout the world have come together to call for the lifting of all country- and region-specific travel bans.
The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), Association of South African Travel Agencies (ASATA), Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations (ECTAA) and World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA), collectively representing the hundreds of thousands of people who work at travel agencies and related businesses around the world, have called on global government leaders to follow the best available science when determining border measures, including testing and prohibitions.
In a statement, they said it was 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.”
Uneven response
Government responses to the economic factor caused by Covid restrictions has been “uneven at best” and the group have implored 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 also point to recent WHO recommendations against the application of travel or trade restrictions.
The WHO said: “In general, evidence shows that restricting the movement of people and goods during public health emergencies is ineffective in most situations and may divert resources from other interventions…Travel bans to affected areas or denial of entry to passengers coming from affected areas are usually not effective in preventing the importation of cases but may have a significant economic and social impact.”
This is line with the most recent European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) authoritative and science-based analysis, confirming that travel restrictions generally have no effective impact on the spread of the virus in Europe.
Dedicated financial support
ASTA, ASATA, ACTA, CHTA, ECTAA and WTAAA call on government leaders around the world to provide dedicated financial support for travel reliant businesses and to lift travel bans as quickly as possible.
Loosening restrictions on fully-vaccinated travelers for entry into the U.S. and other markets should continue to be a top priority, but more needs to be done to ensure that travel-reliant businesses have access to immediate relief when government action is the direct cause of economic hardship.
The statement is signed by:
| Zane Kerby, President & CEO American Society of Travel Advisors | Otto de Vries, CEOAssociation of Southern African Travel Agents |
| Wendy Paradis, President Association of Canadian Travel Agencies | Lars Thykier, President World Travel Agents Associations Alliance |
| Eric Drésin, Secretary General European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association | Vanessa Ledesma-Berrios, Acting CEO & Director General Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association |
