LONDON, 21 September 2020: The World Travel & Tourism Council announced at the weekend it has awarded ‘Safe Travels’ stamps of endorsement to 100 destinations with the Philippines becoming the official 100th destination.
WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, launched the world’s first-ever worldwide safety and hygiene stamp just three months ago and reached 100 endorsements at the weekend.
Earlier this month, WTTC awarded stamps to the Maldives, Uganda, Bermuda and Montenegro.
The stamp, which was developed in order to help restore confidence in travellers and work to revive an ailing Travel & Tourism sector, is now also being used by many more major holiday destinations such as the Maldives, Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda and Montenegro.
This landmark move by WTTC also received the backing of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
WTTC CEO and president Gloria Guevara said: “We are delighted to see our innovative initiative is proving such a great success and is being used by destinations from all corners of the globe.
“The 100 destinations which now proudly use the stamp are working together to help rebuild consumer confidence worldwide. We welcome the Philippines, an incredible destination and home to some of the world’s most beautiful islands, as our 100th destination, as well as other popular destinations around the globe such as Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia and Kenya.”
“The success of the Safe Travels stamp shows its importance not only to countries and destinations but also to travellers and the 330 million people around the world who work in and depend on a thriving the Travel & Tourism sector.”
Philippine Secretary of Department of Tourism Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said: “The Philippine Department of Tourism is delighted to be awarded the WTTC Safe Travels stamp, particularly as we pursue the safe and gradual reopening of our tourist destinations.
“The Safe Travels stamp will further encourage our stakeholders to adhere to health and safety standards, and will also help us rebuild traveller confidence, so we can restart tourism and preserve and sustain jobs.”
According to WTTC’s 2020 Economic Impact Report, during 2019, Travel & Tourism was responsible for one in 10 jobs (330 million total), making a 10.3% contribution to global GDP and generating one in four of all new jobs.
