Rebuilding.travel, a global platform for tourism leaders in 120 countries, invited Maribel Rodriguez, Vice President of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), today to explain how the travel and tourism industry can survive the coronavirus crisis.
Chaired by Dr. Taleb Rifai, former Secretary-General of UNWTO, and Juergen Steinmetz, Publisher of eTurboNews and founder of rebuilding.travel, the planned 45-minute discussion lasted well over 90 minutes with dozens of questions not yet attended to.
It’s a hot subject, and WTTC did it
WTTC mobilized its members and picked 45 CEOs from the top-performing global travel and tourism companies to team up with heads of state and tourism ministers of the G-20 nations.
The G-20 nations include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.
The WTTC initiative is supported by His Majesty Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia.
G20 & WTTC
After asked by Emmanuel Frimpong, head of the Ghana Tourism Federation, Raed Habbis, the rebuilding.travel representative in Saudi Arabia, introduced his plan to involve 1,000 young people in a leadership initiative and invited WTTC to be a part of it.
Dr. Taleb Rifai, Co-chair of rebuilding.travel, pledged to work with his group to present a globally-accepted approach to WTTC, so the industry can come out with one united voice. Professor Geoffrey Lipman, a founder of WTTC and former Deputy Secretary-General of UNWTO, pledged the cooperation of SunX, a global initiative he leads from Malta and Belgium to make climate-friendly travel a necessary component of any initiative.
Professor Lipman said: Inclusiveness is something we need to build – we talk about it a lot. At SUNxMalta we are focused only on Climate Friendly Travel and invite everyone to join our 2050 Climate and Sustainability Registry at www.climatefriendly.travel. It’s a no-cost approach to getting onto the no carbon, clean, and green pathway.
Juergen Steinmetz offered full cooperation from rebuilding.travel to work with WTTC on the organization’s impressive approach. This pledge of support was echoed by Cuthbert Ncube, Chair of the African Tourism Board.
Frank from IVdx in Indiana, USA, added: We need testing at airports that is rapid and precise. We also need to use a hydrophobic coating of air filters in airplanes. We need to install 222nm UV lighting in elevators, hotel lobbies, busses, airport shuttles, car rental offices in order to kill airborne pathogens. These are innovative solutions that will make travel safe. I can do a workshop on this for the WTTC. I run a biomedical technology company.
Felix Chaila, head of the Zambia Tourism Board, added: Safari is a product which is naturally social distanced with minimal risk for COVID-19. Direct charter flights are a great way to reduce the risks arising from nondirect scheduled flights. More dialogue is required to take advantage of this opportunity.
Gloria Guevara, CEO of WTTC, texted after the event: Thank you for your support in the recovery of the sector! I appreciate it.
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